Luxury
by Ronja-R
Summary: One word describing a relationship... and like a zillion words elaborating. Series of CB one-shots beginning after the season two finale.
1. Chapter 1

Here's something that started out as a one shot but then I decided to make it into some sort of series… of one shots. The basic premise comes from a different story I was working on, but decided to scrap, in which someone at one point asked Chuck to describe his relationship with Blair in one word, and the word he chose was "luxury". I didn't get anywhere with that story, but I did decide to use that bit as the backdrop for a series of pseudo-fluffy bits and pieces "examining" the CB dynamic in season three. Don't know how many parts there will be, or how long they will be (some might just be a few short paragraphs) but right now the idea is that after a series of "chapters" taking place during the unseen summer between seasons two and three, the installments will be based on things we see or that they allude to in the season three episodes. Does that make sense?

Warning – sometimes drifts into fluffy territory, and if this ends up having several "chapters" you'll be hearing the word "luxury" a lot.

With that said… hope you enjoy the read =)

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Chuck breathed a content sigh before placing another kiss on the top of Blair's head. It was early afternoon, the day after he had made his declaration of love, and they were relaxing together in the new room he had gotten at the Palace. He had stretched out on his back, propped up against the large pillows. Blair was curled up by his side, resting her head on his shoulder, her left leg draped across his and her left hand stroking his chest, every now and then letting her fingers play with his chest hair. He had never felt so relaxed, so much at peace.

They hadn't spoken for about ten minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. He wasn't sure what she was thinking about, but he hoped it had to do with him. His own thoughts were about her, and about the events that had transpired since he finally managed to say those three words, eight letters.

Now that he had said them he could hardly believe it had taken so much effort to do so, that it had been so hard to get the words out. God knows he had felt it for so long. For over a year and a half, which was forever to a teenager, he had been consumed with her, with thoughts of her, with his feelings for her. Yet even when he'd known without a doubt that she felt it too, even after she had said those words to his face, he had been too scared to say them back.

It was quite ridiculous. How could it be so scary to say those words to her? It had been one thing when he first started feeling it. She hadn't felt it back at that point, that much had been certain, so saying it then would have been emotional, and probably social, suicide. Then there had been a period when he wasn't sure what her feelings were, and at that point it was also too great a risk to reveal that he not only _liked_ her, he _loved_ her. But when he had known she loved him, what had he been afraid of? He knew she wouldn't reject him, even though he had rejected her _twice_ when she had professed her love for him. What could possibly have been so scary?

It wasn't scary anymore. Once the words had been said he had broken the barrier, and by now he had said them a hundred times over. The words came so easy once they had already been said, and he was almost unable to stop himself from saying them. He wanted to tell her over and over again. What had just recently been his biggest fear, telling her he loved her, now felt like a luxury. He could tell her how he felt and nothing bad would happen.

He kissed the top of her head again. He loved the way it felt to kiss her, whether it was on her lips, on her head, on her cheek or any other place on her body. For a year and a half he had desired to kiss her, day and night. Anytime he saw her he wanted to press her lips against her. For a while she had been willing to let him do so, so long as he did it where no one could see. During those first few weeks when they had a secret fling going on they would engage in hour-long make-out sessions and he had been her more-than-willing guide while she explored the to her newfound territory of sex. He had enjoyed those weeks more than she had ever known. When they were alone together he had been able to tell himself that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, and from a sexual standpoint that had sometimes been true. But she hadn't wanted him out in public, she hadn't been infatuated with him like he was with her.

Then their fling had ended, and for months he hadn't gotten to kiss her, or touch her. Then he had had a brief week of happiness, the week after his father's wedding, during which she had been more than willing to kiss him. The long make-out sessions had returned, but then he had chickened out and stood her up, effectively cutting off his access to her lips. After that he had wondered if he would ever get to kiss her again.

During senior year he had enjoyed a few opportunities to lock his lips with hers again, but he had never been able to just walk up to her and kiss her whenever he pleased. Still, every time he had seen her he had wanted to do just that. He had cringed every time he saw Nate give her a kiss during the time Blair and Nate had been back together; even though he tried to deny it to himself he had been incredibly envious of his best friend who enjoyed the right Chuck himself had been dying to have for so long.

Now she was lying there next to him, and he was free to kiss her as much as he wanted to, wherever he wanted to. It was pure luxury. Every time he got the urge to kiss her all he had to do was draw her close. And she kissed him, often, as happy as he was that they could finally kiss each other whenever they so pleased. The thought of getting to enjoy this luxury for an indefinite future made him smile even wider.

"Mmm…" he heard her purr before she placed a kiss on his chest.

"Mmm what?" he asked, kissing the top of her head again.

"This is so nice" she murmured.

"What is so nice?" he prodded, lifting up her hand to his lips.

"Snuggling with my boyfriend" she said, and he could hear from her voice that she was smiling.

He chuckled happily. It was wonderful to hear her call him that. When he had first fallen for her he hadn't even been able to admit to himself that he would like to be her boyfriend. He wanted to be with her, but the term "boyfriend"… Chuck Bass was nobody's _boyfriend_. And then he had heard her refer to Nate as her boyfriend during their brief period back together junior year and he had been forced to admit to himself that maybe it would be at least a little bit nice to bear that title. In private. The thought had made him feel ashamed and he had done his best to ignore it whenever it had appeared. Then with the way things had gone he had never dared to think he would ever get to be that person in her life. It was weird how things sometimes worked out.

He hadn't even been her boyfriend for twenty-four hours yet. She hadn't even used that word until now. He could definitely get used to hearing it. In fact he now looked forward to her referring to him by that term. It was a form of security. She was his now, they were together, and in case anyone wondered what he was to her the official answer would be "boyfriend".

The previous night, after they had gotten to the Palace and finally made love, he had held her tight and mumbled a question against her lips, asking her to be his girlfriend. She had giggled, told him "yes", and teased him for even asking the question. He had told her he thought a formal question was in order and she had giggled again and kissed him in a way he had only ever dreamed she would. But she hadn't used the word "boyfriend". Until now.

"What was that?" he asked, pretending not to have heard her moments ago.

"Snuggling with my boyfriend is what's so nice" she repeated.

His smile widened. Hearing her use that word wasn't scary or demeaning like he had thought it would be. It was luxury.

Suddenly she giggled.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing… Just surprised, that's all."

"About what?"

"This is without a doubt the longest I've ever heard you be quiet in bed."

He scoffed.

"Somehow I doubt that. You spent the night sleeping in some sort of tangled heap with me; that was at least seven straight hours of silence."

"Yeah… You talk in your sleep though."

"I do not!" he said, secretly worried that he might.

"Okay fine" she smirked. "But I didn't say it was the longest you've ever _been_ quiet in bed, I said it's the longest I've ever _heard_ you be quiet. And I was asleep too last night so I didn't hear you."

"How do you hear someone be quiet?" he asked.

She laughed slightly and gave him a playful shove. He shoved her back, moving her off of him so that he could lie on his side facing her. He pulled her as close as possible and let the next kiss land on her lips.

"I was curious…" Blair mumbled against his lips. "What's on your mind? Like I said, you're never quiet in bed."

"Nothing's on my mind" he said. Then he smiled. "Except you. Can you blame me for not speaking? After what transpired between us prior to this snuggle session I was completely unable to use my words."

"After?" she echoed teasingly. "Most of the stuff you uttered during was pretty unintelligible."

He laughed and kissed her again. He loved that the banter was still there. The edge was still there. They hadn't gone soft and fluffy just because they were now boyfriend and girlfriend. Being able to be gentle, loving and relaxed with her while still keeping that witty banter going, keeping that edge that was him, was luxury.

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Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all who reviewed the first part of this! I'm glad you liked it =) I just have one minor thing to say, and that is that I detest spoilers, so please refrain from mentioning what will happen later in the season when you leave a review. Aside from that, I really appreciated that you people took the time to comment!

Hope you will like this chapter too =)

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"That was definitely a first for me" Chuck declared as he lifted up the covers and crawled into bed.

"Aw" Blair cooed with a smile. "My little virgin."

"Okay I wouldn't go _that_ far" Chuck argued.

Blair giggled and got into bed on the other side. They had just gotten back from dinner with her mother and Cyrus, four days into their new relationship. It had been a bit weird at first to have dinner with them and Chuck, just the four of them, especially with Chuck being there as her boyfriend and not her friend. For Chuck it had been the first meet-the-parents dinner ever, even if he had met both Eleanor and Cyrus countless times before, but it had also been a first for Blair since she had never before brought home a boy who was a friend upgraded to boyfriend.

Luckily dinner had gone well, and Cyrus hadn't violated the strict orders he had been given not to scare Chuck off with too many hugs or too big a welcoming into the family. To Blair the whole thing had been perfect. Her mother had treated Chuck like he had been part of the family since forever, and since he had grown up with Blair that was partially true. Both her mother and her stepfather had refrained from making a huge fuss over the occasion and just treated it like it was something natural that happened all the time. Blair was relieved they had gone with that approach, and she knew it had made Chuck more at ease as well.

It had felt so good to leave her mother's penthouse with Chuck after dinner; it felt like a touch of the future when perhaps she would leave with Chuck because she lived with him, rather than bringing a suitcase of new clothes with her because her actual home was the place she was leaving.

The suitcase rested in a corner of the room at the moment, having only been briefly opened so that she could fish out her favorite nightgown. She hadn't worn anything to bed for the three previous nights, but for some reason she had slid into her nightgown tonight and Chuck was wearing a pajamas. Not that he hadn't last night as well, but unlike last night his pajamas had now stayed on for over fifteen minutes and counting.

"I may not have had dinner with Eleanor as her daughter's suitor before" Chuck continued his previous comment while fluffing the large pillow behind him. "But that doesn't make me a virgin. I have eaten with the woman before."

"Oh Bass, you are _such_ a virgin" Blair sighed with a smile, running her fingers through her hair.

"You of all people know that's not true" he said suggestively, raising an eyebrow as he stretched out on his side looking up at her.

She turned her head and smiled brightly at him. She was still sitting up in bed, the comforter reaching up to her waist. The bed was large, but there was only one comforter and she tugged a bit at it to get some more of it.

"True you're not a sexual virgin" she said, running her fingers over her nails to make sure they were in perfect shape. "But you're a relationship virgin if I ever saw one."

He scoffed.

"I have had plenty of relationships" he argued. "This is just my first _romantic_ one."

"One night stands with call girls and ANTM-rejects don't count as relationships" Blair argued. "I am your first girlfriend, thank you very much."

"True…"

"And you are a virgin at being somebody's boyfriend. But don't worry sugar, I'll be gentle. Though if you so much think about saying '_stop_' or suggesting we go slower for a while you will be in for a world of hurt."

"So you'll be gentle while hurting me?" he enquired.

"Something like that."

He laughed slightly and rolled over on his back, tugging some of the comforter back from her. He knew she was right. No matter how experienced he was in the sex department there were a million relationship steps he had never taken before.

"Don't feel bad, Bass" Blair said reassuringly. "I like that you've never had a girlfriend before and you need someone to help you take your first steps as a man in that department. Especially since I have so much experience in that area myself."

"Can we not talk about your experience of being someone's girlfriend?" Chuck asked. "In case you've forgotten, I happen to know the guy you lost your relationship virginity to."

"All I'm saying is, now it's my turn."

"Your turn to do what?"

"To deflower. I like to think of it as repaying a favor. Or tit for tat."

"Now that last part sounds intriguing."

"You have all this sexual experience, having spent years sleeping around with anything you could get your hands on. Time well spent, I'm sure. I, on the other hand, have an equal amount of experience in being in a relationship. You took my virginity in the back of your limo, and then you were my sex coach for a few weeks, teaching me about different positions and things you could do, and how to touch a guy and so forth. A few days ago I took your relationship virginity. Now it's my turn to teach you all about how to be in a relationship."

"I think my teaching sessions were more fun" he said, resting the back of his head on his hands.

"Maybe you'll find you like my teaching sessions just as much" Blair said softly.

He looked over at her and she smiled sweetly at him. She reached over to turn off the light on the nightstand next to her before leaning over him to turn off his light as well. He let his hands leave their place on his pillow and land on her instead.

"First lesson" Blair said, leaning over him after having switched the light off. "You always kiss your girlfriend goodnight. No matter what."

She reached down and placed a soft kiss on his lips before settling down next to him.

"Hmm…" he said, smacking his lips. "I don't think I will be able to remember that. In fact, I've already forgotten. What were you saying? Show me again."

She giggled and repeated her first lesson, gently caressing his cheek as she gave him a goodnight kiss.

"Oh…" he said, nodding in understanding. "You mean I should do this?"

He kissed her again and she gave him an approving pat on the cheek.

"Good boy" she smiled. "We'll see if you can remember it. There will be a pop quiz tomorrow."

Then she shifted in the bed until she found a comfortable position. It ended up being on her side, facing away from him, but she was lying close enough for them to still be touching. He glanced over at her and smiled as he heard her sigh contently, and he let his hand rest on her waist.

For some reason they both seemed to agree that they wouldn't have sex tonight. He had no idea when that silent agreement had been made, or even why really, but there had been no serious attempts at seduction. It surprised him a bit. He had thought that once he got her, once they were together for real, they would barely do anything but have sex. And for the first three and a half days that had been quite true. Maybe their bodies just needed a break.

He shifted so that he was on his side as well, letting his hand slip down to her belly and pull her closer to him. He had never spooned anybody like this before, not even her. He had been afraid of doing that when they had their fling during junior year since she might not have wanted him to. And either way they had only spent one night actually sleeping in the same bed during that time so there hadn't been much opportunity for spooning.

It only took a few minutes before her breaths turned slow and steady and he knew she was asleep. A smile appeared on his face. He had Blair Waldorf in his bed, in his arms, and there had been no attempts of having sex. It didn't feel nearly as backwards as he would have thought just a week ago. For some reason it was nice. Proof that they were about more than just sex, that their desire for one another went beyond physical pleasure. He just wanted her near and she felt the same way.

He smiled against her neck and drew in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of her hair. He could definitely get used to this. Not having sex tonight was oddly reassuring. She wasn't there because she wanted to sleep with him. If she had been it wouldn't have told him anything new. He knew he was good in bed. She was there because she wanted to be close to him, in the same room as him, even when she was just sleeping. Fall asleep with him and wake up with him.

Never in a million years would he have guessed that going to bed with a girl and just sleeping would feel like luxury.

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Please tell me what you thought of it =)


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, thanks for all the encouragement! You people are awesome =) Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you think.

"Rules of Engagement" will be updated before Easter, I hope. I'm working on the next chapter but I'm a teensy bit stuck. My goal is to have it up by this weekend, failing that, before Easter.

But enough about that story. On to this one. Enjoy the read!

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Chuck pondered whether or not he should reach down and pull the comforter up higher, but he couldn't be bothered moving. From the position he was lying in it would be difficult to get a hold of the comforter and successfully pull it up to cover his shoulders.

He was on his stomach, facing Blair who was lying in a mirroring position to his right. His left cheek rested against his left hand and his right hand was lying in the valley between his pillow and Blair's. Blair, who was resting her right cheek on her right hand, had placed her left hand above his right. Attempting to pull up the comforter now would mean he either had to lift his head, which felt like too big of a hassle right now, or moving the hand that was covered by hers. That last one was not an option.

They had celebrated their one week mark since they woke up that morning, but right now they were enjoying each other's company only, instead of each other's bodies. They both needed to shower, and probably eat something as well since it was late at night and they had only had lunch, but the mood was peaceful and cozy and neither one of them felt like putting an end to that just yet.

"Daddy called yesterday" Blair said, caressing the back of Chuck's hand with her fingers.

"How is Harold?" Chuck asked.

"He's good" Blair said. "He's happy that things worked out for you and me. But he's also a bit disappointed since he realizes I won't be coming to France this summer."

"You decided not to go?"

"Don't act surprised. I miss Daddy, but I can't leave the city when you're still here. I haven't been apart from you for more than fifteen minutes for the past seven days. A whole summer in France without you? I don't think so."

She didn't say what was really on her mind. That she would spend the entire time in France worrying that Chuck might have changed his mind about them once she got back. Or that some bimbo would have managed to cross his path and he would stray. She figured it was best to keep those insecurities to herself. She didn't want to start a fight.

"I know it's terribly hard living without me" Chuck said, and sighed theatrically. "I won't encourage you to go to France. That would just be cruel."

"Please, you would go crazy long before I did" Blair smiled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Blair giggled and entwined her fingers with his.

"Maybe we could go to France together?" she carefully suggested. "Not for all of summer. But maybe a week or two?"

"Are you asking me to go away with you?" Chuck said, raising an eyebrow. "I think you just skipped lessons seven through fifty-two in Relationship 101. Even I know you're not supposed to move too fast."

"It's not moving too fast" she argued. "You owe me a romantic couple of weeks in Europe since last year, remember?"

"It does sound nice" he smiled. "Although perhaps we should avoid going to Tuscany."

"We should go to Milano!" Blair said, suddenly excited. "I haven't been in ages. Think of all the shopping I could do."

"Maybe we should just let our first trip together be to visit your father for a week or two and then head back home?" Chuck suggested. "We don't want to overdo it."

"True. But one weekend in Milano isn't going to hurt anyone."

"I draw the line at France" Chuck said, chuckling slightly. "Wasn't the whole point that you wanted to see Harold?"

"_I_ want to see Daddy. My _closet_ wants me to see Milano."

Chuck smirked. Then his look became a touch more sentimental.

"Well… You really should go see him this summer. You have a dad who longs to see you. Had it been Bart he would probably have been excited to hear I had a girlfriend taking up all my time, and I wouldn't be flying in to bother him."

"Bart never left you" Blair pointed out. "He may have gone on countless trips, but at least he didn't move across the Atlantic and leave you in New York."

"I trust he would have if there had been a second parent to supervise me" Chuck said. "Honestly Blair, half the time I wondered if he didn't go on more business trips than necessary just so he would have a valid reason not to be around me."

"What makes you say that?" Blair asked softly.

"How much do you really know about what happened with my mother?"

"I know she died when you were born" Blair said. "And that it's something you've struggled with your whole life. But I haven't wanted to ask about it. It's clearly an infected wound for you…"

"My dad… really loved my mother" Chuck said slowly. "All my life I've been hearing these stories about how good they were together, and he had her favorite everything memorized, almost as if he thought it would make me feel a connection to her by hearing what her favorite salad was. I know my mother's favorite movies, favorite music, favorite foods, favorite color… Hell I'm surprised he didn't tell me her favorite pages of the Kama Sutra."

"Ew" Blair couldn't help but say, wrinkling her nose. "Chuck!"

"Point is… She was the one for him and I took her away. And Bart could never come to terms with that. I look like her, and instead of seeing her living on whenever he looked at me, he just saw what I cost him. And I… guess I can understand that. I understand it better now, when I love someone myself, but I don't understand it enough to be able to be at peace with it."

"Chuck…" Blair said and squeezed his hand. "I can't even imagine what it must be like to have lost your mother at the age of two minutes. But let's get one thing straight. You didn't kill Evelyn. You didn't actively do anything that caused her death. Babies have no more control over the birthing process than the mothers, I mean, they're in less control even. If anybody _killed_ your mom it was your dad. If he wasn't such a horny ass then she would never have gotten pregnant in the first place. Though I'm grateful he was a horny ass. I'd take you over Evelyn any day."

Chuck laughed bitterly.

"Well Bart didn't feel the same way."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"I am."

"My love…" Blair said gently. "If Bart had been given the ability to choose, if he could have had Evelyn back in exchange for you, he would have chosen you."

"Bart would have suffocated me with a pillow while I was still in the cradle if it could have brought her back" Chuck scoffed.

"No he wouldn't" Blair insisted. "Maybe… maybe you're ascribing part of your own feelings of guilt onto him."

"When I was seven I learned not to make a big deal of my birthday, or even be happy about it" Chuck said. "My father would sometimes put a forced smile on when I was little, but I remember very vividly how I on my seventh birthday realized the last thing my father wanted to do on that date was to smile and celebrate. All other kids looked forward to their birthday, counting the days leading up to it, talking about how they were celebrated at home, and I dreaded that day. I still hate having birthdays, but at least in three years I'll be able to claim I simply don't like getting older."

Blair nodded slowly. She hadn't heard him talk about this before. She wasn't sure he had even talked to Nate about it. His defensive walls were raised incredibly high and he would rather hide behind his aloof Chuck Bass persona than admit that he felt pain over something.

Chuck sighed heavily. He moved over on his side and scooted closer to her, kissing her and then turning her over so that he was spooning her. He buried his face in her neck for a moment and took a deep breath.

Blair felt unsure for a moment. She had far too little experience of him in this state and didn't know what to say or do in this situation.

Chuck was having mixed feelings. On one hand he had never felt more comfortable talking to anyone before in his life. The level of intimacy between them was unlike anything he had experienced before. He knew she was someone he could tell things to. The problem wasn't her, it was his own inability to lower his walls and let her in. He wanted to, but it was difficult.

But by holding her like this he would be able to talk to her without having her look at him. For whatever reason that felt easier right now. Not that he expected her to look at him with disdain, doubt, judgment or any negative emotion at all, but it was for some reason much easier to open up when he wasn't looking into her eyes.

"Snuff out the candles, will you?" he said.

She leaned over to the nightstand and blew out the candles, the only remaining source of light in the room. As she settled back in to his arms he took another deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts.

"I… don't often talk about this stuff" he said tentatively.

"I know" came her response. "It's okay Chuck. I only want to know the things you want to tell me. The rest… I'll find out about when you're ready."

He kissed her cheek.

"No, I want to talk about it, it's just… difficult to find the words."

She nodded.

"Take your time."

A faint smile appeared on his lips. He wasn't starting to realize until know what being in a relationship really meant. It was about much more than hanging out all the time and having sex with the same person time and time again. To Chuck nudity and sex had never had much to do with intimacy, even though it was the height of physical intimacy. To him intimacy implied a connection, which he had rarely felt with his sex partners. This was a whole other thing entirely. Being with Blair in this moment, opening up to her about things he had never talked to anyone about, was the most intimate experience of his life.

"You're a luxury, you know that?" he mumbled in her ear before squeezing her tight.

"Sorry, what was that?" she asked, not sure she had heard him right.

"Never mind."

She smiled and turned her head to catch a glimpse of him. He kissed her cheek and nuzzled against her. Her hands found his arms and rested there as she turned her head back to face away from him. While she didn't quite understand his difficulties in sharing personal stuff she knew him well enough to realize he had moved them into this position and asked her to blow out the candles for a reason.

He took another moment to gather this thoughts before he began speaking.

"I remember this one time when I was about nine, and my father caught me looking through an old photo album with pictures of my mom…"

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If you read it, please review it =) Have a nice day!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again! Time for an update. As always I want to thank all of you who have left reviews. You guys are awesome =)

On a completely random note, I finally saw **314** yesterday and I couldn't help but notice that the "no talking" scene takes place at lunch, and when we see Chair post-game snuggling it's nighttime. They really made up for that "dry spell", didn't they? Now if only they could actually _show_ us anything sexy…

Enough of my rambling. Have a happy read!

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With a relieved sigh Chuck fell back on the bed and stretched out. Blair had just left the hotel room, off to have lunch with her minions and do some shopping. Chuck had all afternoon to himself.

What sweet luxury it was to have some time to himself. As much as he loved Blair, he just wasn't used to being around someone non-stop for so long. Even Nate, who had more or less lived with him during two years of high school, hadn't been around him for this long at a time. It felt amazing to get to do whatever he wanted to do for a while without taking into consideration what she wanted to do, and to get to do the things he enjoyed doing when he was on his own. He could check his e-mail for the first time in over a week, stop by his favorite websites and message boards, play computer games or watch one of his favorite shows. Or he could just lock himself in the bathroom for half an hour with the sport section without Blair starting to wonder if he had died in there.

He flipped over on his stomach and grinned. Yes, some alone time was much needed right now. And she probably needed it too. She hadn't gotten to indulge in anything super girly during the ten days they had spent locked up in this room, and he knew she got hives if she didn't get to shop for several days. He suspected that she had scheduled lunch with the girls so that she could have a valid excuse to go out shopping without his company later on. And he didn't mind one bit.

Forty-five minutes later he glanced at his wristwatch. How long did it take to eat something and spend a bit of money? He had already done some of the stuff he had been looking forward to, and the rest he wasn't feeling up for. Who knew how long it would be before Blair was done eating, gossiping and shopping?

Reluctantly he walked over to the stack of DVDs he had put on a shelf by the TV. He had decided to just stay in this hotel room for the time being and so he had brought some of his stuff over. Blair had sat down for a chat with Lily a couple of days ago while Chuck had gone to his room at the penthouse and packed some of his things. He had brought with him about twenty DVDs but nothing seemed interesting at the moment. But he had to do something. Chuck Bass was not good at being bored.

Unenthusiastically he grabbed the second season of "Heroes" from the pile and put the first disc in. He wasn't that big a fan, but at least it would kill some time. He plopped down on the bed and grabbed the phone to order up some room service. Blair would probably get pissed that he was eating in bed but maybe that would teach her not to leave him unsupervised for more than thirty minutes.

He had just gotten started watching the episode when he got a text. He fished out his phone from his pant pocket and smiled when he saw it was from her.

"_1 whole hour. Can U believe it? How lame is it that I miss U?_"

He smiled at her message. Yes it was incredibly lame. But he liked it all the same. So long as it didn't get overly sappy. He grinned as he wrote his response.

"_Patience kitten… Or on 2__nd__ thought… forget about patience. Make sure U miss me lots when U get back._"

He put his phone away, not expecting a response. Yet anyway.

After a little bit more than three hours she returned to his hotel room. By that time he had gotten three texts from her, one each time it had been another hour since she left. She came through the door with six or seven large shopping bags in her hands, barely able to carry all of them at once. She looked a bit flushed, but had an excited smile on her face that made him smile back at her the same way automatically.

He had just turned the TV off and leaned back on the bed with his laptop, checking a link Nate had sent him. Figures she would get back right when he found something interesting to do. But he was more than happy to see her again as she put all of her bags down and climbed up on the bed to lean over and kiss him.

"Been a good boy?" she asked sweetly.

"The room is still in one piece, isn't it?"

She grinned, tousled his hair and got up from the bed.

"So how was lunch?" he asked.

"Mexican."

"As in you had a multi-standoff with your minions? You should have texted me. I would have loved to see that."

"As in we had enchiladas. Do you mind if I unpack my shopping bags here, just for now? I didn't want to go by my mother's."

"Sure" he shrugged.

"Thanks" she chirped.

He turned his attention back to his computer, but decided it wasn't so interesting at the moment when he glanced up at her just in time to see her bend over to pick up some of her shopping bags. She didn't seem to notice that his eyes were on her and carried her bags over to the dresser by the closet.

"Show me what you bought" Chuck said, curious to hear about her day. "Did you get anything for me?"

"Uh-huh" she chirped and started searching through her largest bag.

He was slightly surprised when she fished out two shirts, one white with thin purple stripes and the other cream colored. She held them up and raised her eyebrows, silently asking him what he thought.

"… Not what I had in mind" he confessed. "You bought me shirts?"

"Yes. I'm a girlfriend who likes to dress my sweetheart. And the striped shirt matches a dress I found, except the dress has green stripes. I advise you to get used to this, because from now on you are my little real life paper doll-"

"Well thank you" he said as she hung up the shirts in his closet.

"I take it you weren't referring to clothes for _you_ to wear when you asked me if I got you anything" she said while turning her attention back to her remaining bags.

"You know me well."

"I may have stopped by Victoria's Secret" Blair said, shooting him a sly smile.

"Really? Maybe I should send you off on shopping sprees more often. Let me see!"

"No" she said.

"No?"

"No."

"I thought you shopped there for my benefit."

"Yes, but it ruins the fun if you get to see it beforehand" she reasoned. "I think I'm going to claim one of your drawers for my own and stash my lingerie there."

"Now hold on just a minute" he said, raising an eyebrow playfully. "I will not surrender my drawers without a fight."

"Then name your price" she said with a smile.

"Show me one of the things you bought at Secret."

She grabbed the Victoria's Secret bag and glanced inside it. Then she grabbed one of the items she had bought just an hour ago and held it up for him to see.

"Lemony yellow…" he said and nodded approvingly. "Never seen you seduce me in that color before. It looks hot. But I don't think it's being done justice on that hanger. Maybe you should put it on and show me the full effect?"

"Maybe later. I have bags to unpack" she said cheerfully.

He shook his head with a chuckle but knew when to give up. She was enjoying going over the things she had bought and didn't seem to want to take a break right now. He watched her lift up item after item, commenting on each thing she produced from her bags. Most of it met his approval, although some of the things she had gotten were a tad too conservative for his taste. And her three new headbands were just white noise to him.

Finally she got to her last bag, which was the only one that didn't contain any clothes. She had picked up a bunch of magazines on her way back to the hotel, and plopped down on the bed with all of them in her hands. Lying on her stomach she lifted her feet up in the air and crossed them in a coquettish manner while starting to look through the magazine at the top of her pile.

Chuck cast her another glance and then turned his attention back to his laptop. While checking out the link Nate had sent him he realized he still hadn't stopped by most of his usual websites, and since at least a third of them weren't "adult" sites he might as well go ahead and visit them while Blair read her magazines.

He felt himself relax a bit and enjoyed the ability to do his own stuff with Blair in the room. She was busy entertaining one of her hobbies and he could focus his attention on his. It was one of the biggest luxuries yet, being able to do whatever he wanted to do while she did the same, yet they were doing it together. He decided he could definitely get used to this kind of thing. While he undeniably needed some time to himself every now and then to keep him from losing his mind, it felt amazing to get to be around her without having to focus all of his attention on her.

"Toss me a pillow" Blair said, breaking the silence.

He reached over and grabbed a pillow from her side of the bed, tossing it to where she was lying stretched out on the foot end of the bed. She propped it up against his legs, turned to lie on her back and picked up the second magazine from her pile. After a while her head leaning against his legs started to get uncomfortable.

"Mind moving up a bit?" he asked without looking up from his computer.

Without a word she obediently scooted higher up on the bed, nudging him to roll over on his back. He complied, even though it made it a bit uncomfortable to use the computer since it was sitting next to him on the bed. He felt her place the pillow on his stomach and then stretch out again as she continued reading her magazines.

More than an hour had gone by before he looked up from his computer again. He was surprised to find her resting on her side, looking up at him. He hadn't noticed her putting her magazines away, and barely recalled her rolling over and curling up in a fetal position. He wondered for how long she had been lying there in silence, watching him.

"All out of things to read?" he asked.

"Yes" she said. "But that's okay. I'm enjoying the view."

He smiled at her and closed his computer shut, moving it to the side and motioning for her to move up to him. She sat up and moved over so that she was lying side by side with him, her head resting on his pillow. He kissed her softly, beginning to wonder if she had the same idea for a pre-dinner activity as he had.

"You're done with the computer?" she asked.

"Mmm…" he mumbled and kissed her again. "My attention's on you now."

"So can I use it?"

He frowned slightly and gave her a look. Obviously her mind was not on sex at the moment. He sighed and grabbed the computer, handing it over to her. She cheerfully thanked him and kissed him on the cheek before opening his web browser to check her favorite websites.

With a disappointed sigh he reached for the remote and turned the TV back on to watch another episode of "Heroes". Watching TV was not what he had wanted to do right now. But still, watching TV with her curled up next to him was ten times better than watching it alone, even if she wasn't watching with him.

* * *

Please leave a review and tell me what you thought!

I'm probably not going to update this again before Easter. I've got very little time for my fics at present and I will be putting most of what time I have on "Rules of Engagement". Hope you'll all still be with me when the next update comes around =)


	5. Chapter 5

After finishing another RoE chapter I sat down with this story and finished one for it too. Short, but there will probably be shorter installments.

Thanks, everyone who's reviewed so far!

* * *

Figures that when they finally decide to leave their love nest and Manhattan behind to actually enjoy the summer weather at the Hamptons over the weekend the long sunny period would finally end. It had been cloudy when they arrived Friday night and when Chuck woke up on Saturday morning it was pouring down rain. Great.

He rolled over and threw an arm around Blair, feeling the still not familiar sting of joy that came with waking up and finding her next to him. To be fair it had only been three weeks. But you'd think that twenty-one mornings would be enough for a person to get accustomed. Or at least Chuck had once thought so. Now he felt sure that he would never find it commonplace or mundane to wake up next to her. It was just as luxurious now as it had been twenty days ago.

Blair stirred in her sleep and rolled over on her back. For a moment he thought she would continue to sleep but then she slowly opened her eyes and took a moment to remember where she was.

"Hamptons" he informed her.

"I know that" she said in a grumpy tone.

"Looks like our plans are being washed away…" Chuck said. "I don't know about you, but tennis in the rain? Walking along the beach in the rain? Eating outdoors… in the rain? Doesn't sound appealing to me."

"Kissing in the rain sounds appealing" Blair said, a smile appearing on her lips.

"Okay, so we run outside, smooch and then run back in, all in less than five seconds" Chuck decided.

"No" Blair said with a giggle, playfully giving him a shove. "It's supposed to be long, deep and romantic."

"Except there's nothing romantic about being drenched in cold rain."

"But afterwards you can carry me inside and help me dry off…" she said suggestively.

"Dry isn't necessarily the best word for what I would have in mind after that" Chuck replied and planted a kiss on her lips before getting up. "I'm gonna go take a shower. If you like making out with water pouring down on you then this is your one chance."

Blair didn't follow him into the shower, and that was probably just as well. He was starting to forget what it was like to take a shower by your lonesome and have the point actually being to get cleaner.

When he got out from the shower Blair had fallen asleep again. He rolled his eyes but let her continue to sleep. There wasn't much to do right now anyway, except having sex, but he knew that there was a period of about seven days each month when she refused to engage in that activity. He hadn't asked any questions when she had sheepishly mentioned it, he had just decided to respect it no questions asked. That was one subject he didn't feel he needed to be intimately updated on.

He walked downstairs into the kitchen and decided to make her breakfast in bed. He had never done that for anybody before, and frankly he wasn't even sure how to switch on a stove, but the thought of surprising Blair with a breakfast tray was too good to pass up on.

Thankfully Lily and her new Humphrey crew weren't at the house this weekend so he had the kitchen to himself. It made him kind of sick that his adoptive mother let the Humphreys into his father's Hamptons house but he was too happy with his own life right now to bother arguing.

He knew Blair's preferred breakfast consisted of yogurt and fresh berries and/or fruit, which was fortunate for him. He didn't have a clue how to make waffles, and he had never even tried making an omelet before. All he had to do to prepare breakfast for her was open the fridge and see what was in there.

He had just found a tray to arrange everything neatly on when Blair came into the kitchen.

"Morning Bass…" she said and kissed him on the cheek.

"You should have stayed in bed" he said. "I was about to bring you breakfast."

"That's so sweet of you."

She hopped up on a barstool, crossing one leg over the other. He noticed that she was no longer wearing the nightgown she had gone to bed in. She had changed into something warmer.

"Nice outfit" he commented.

"I was cold and I didn't bring anything warm to change into" she said.

He chuckled. He hadn't either but since this was his father's house he still had some clothes in the wardrobe which he hadn't bothered bringing back to the city. She had rummaged through his closet and found a dress shirt to wear.

"If your cold, how come your legs are still bare?" Chuck asked while bringing the tray over to her.

"You didn't have any pants that fit me."

"How about your own clothes?"

"I like wearing yours better."

He gave her a kiss and hopped up on the barstool next to her. He picked up a raspberry and fed it to her. She smiled and returned the favor. He loved the domestic sweetness of seeing her in his clothes while they helped each other eat their breakfast. It was luxury to have someone it felt so natural to do this with.

"So what do you want to do all weekend if this weather holds up?" he asked.

She beamed.

"We haven't watched '_Tiffany's_' together since we became a couple."

"You brought '_Tiffany's_'?"

Her face fell.

"You don't have it here?"

"My dad wasn't exactly a huge fan of romantic movies" Chuck pointed out. "I think all we have to offer are political downer dramas and one or two comedies of the variety that our folks find hilarious and we find to be snoozefest."

The disappointed look on her face gave him a weird feeling. He hated seeing her with that look. He leaned in and gave her another kiss.

"Although… I do seem to recall buying a copy towards the end of last summer, in the vain hope that I would be able to lure you to watch it with me and thus spend some time in my company."

"Seriously?"

He nodded.

"Well, almost seriously. Actually I bought it in the vain hope that you would come back from Europe eager to forgive me and watching '_Tiffany's_' with you would be my way of making my Tuscany error up to you."

"I forgive you for Tuscany" Blair smiled.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. He couldn't believe he was finally with Blair in the Hamptons, and actually _with_ her. What luxury it was to be able to bring the things he had fantasized about them doing there last summer into life.

* * *

Have a happy Easter! Please review =)


	6. Chapter 6

A longer chapter this time, fluff included, since we might all need a little Chair fluff right about now…

Thanks for all the reviews so far! My apologies for bad grammar. English isn't my first language so errors sneak in every here and there but I had no idea there were _that_ many… I'll work on it, I promise! Feel free to send me a PM if there are any specific errors I keep making.

* * *

On second thought, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

The day after Chuck and Blair had gotten back from their Hamptons weekend Chuck had gotten a call from one of the guys in his high school class, urging him to come out for a round of bar hopping. Dave wasn't exactly what one would call a friend, but he was a frequent attendee of the Lost Weekends and always up for a night out in case you didn't want to go out drinking alone. Chuck hadn't gone out with him for months, even rejecting all offers to party around graduation, and initially planned on saying no this time too.

He had mentioned it to Blair, who had thought he should go. In three weeks they hadn't been apart for more than a few hours at a time. They hadn't slept apart any single night and he saw no reason to change that. Blair seemed a bit tired however and had argued that one night apart wouldn't kill them, and besides it was good to miss each other for a while. The prospect of I-missed-you-last-night sex made him start to consider Dave's suggestion, and then he had decided he would go. After all, Chuck Bass was not the type who had to be chained to his girlfriend, he was the type who would go out on his own and have a good time if he so pleased. So there.

However after three different bars and the amount of alcohol he usually consumed in three weeks crammed into one evening he had begun to have second thoughts. Sure, he was Chuck Bass, but the girlfriend in question here was Blair Waldorf. He didn't want to go to sleep without her, and he didn't like the thought of waking up with her being nowhere to be seen. Not to mention he was feeling pretty frisky.

So he had decided not to go back to his own hotel room, and instead head over to the Waldorf penthouse where she was spending the night. No doubt she would be as excited to see him as he was to see her. After all, they had just set a record in time spent apart since they'd gotten together. Six hours straight.

It wasn't until he was in the elevator going up that he realized that perhaps this wasn't his best idea yet. It was well past midnight, she was most likely asleep, and so was the rest of the house. And he really didn't know what she would think of him showing up in the middle of the night, drunk off his ass, trying to get some lovin'. He might end up being put in a cab and sent back to his hotel room. Especially if Eleanor and Cyrus were home.

The elevator doors opened and he stumbled inside. He was here after all, so he might as well try his luck. He looked around, for a moment surprised to find there was nobody around, and almost bellowed out a "hello?" before remembering the time.

Dorota came down from the stairs, obviously coming straight from bed and not looking particularly pleased. He smiled at her and hoped he wouldn't come off as too drunk. Usually he could hold his liquor, but the room was swaying a bit too much and he had to really concentrate to keep track of what was going on.

"Mister Chuck!" Dorota said. "Is middle of the night."

"Sorry" he said, pleased to hear that at least he wasn't slurring. "Is Blair awake?"

"No, Miss Blair asleep."

"I will just…" He gestured up the stairs. "I'll just go upstairs then and… crawl into bed. She won't mind."

"Maybe better you return tomorrow."

"Yes, I will see you tomorrow Dorota" Chuck said, placing a hand on her shoulder before walking past her and heading up the stairs. "Goodnight!"

He walked down the hall to Blair's bedroom and opened the door, walking inside as quietly as possible. Then he slammed the door shut behind him, no doubt waking the entire house.

Blair jolted in bed and sat up, startled by the dark figure standing just inside her door. She reached for the light.

"Hey Blair…" Chuck said, trying to get his jacket off but getting his watch caught in the sleeve.

She found the light switch and Chuck squinted when the room got brighter. Then he grinned. She was a real vision, just woken up and wearing a satin negligee he would love to caress off her body. The look on her face was surprised at first, then switched to annoyed and then to slightly concerned.

"Chuck" she said, jumping out of bed and hurrying over to him. "Keep your voice down! My mom and Cyrus are asleep."

"Sorry" he said and searched for her lips with his.

"From the taste, and smell, of you I'd say you really made the most of your bar round" she commented and helped him take off the jacket before getting to work on his shirt.

"You mind me showing up?" he asked, trying to kick his shoes off.

"Are you kidding? What took you so long?"

She took a pause from undressing him and kissed him hungrily. Truth was, she was a bit ambivalent. She had missed him like crazy all evening, but she could have lived without him showing up like this, drunk as a skunk. She had been planning on waking up early, going out to get his hangover cures of choice and then going over to his hotel room to dote upon him and help cure his hangover. Having him pass out in her bed and possibly throw up first was not the prelude she'd had in mind.

"God you're hot" he mumbled and started tugging at her negligee.

"I think you need to get to bed" she said and continued to unbutton his shirt.

"My thoughts exactly" he grinned.

She ignored his come-ons and finally got the shirt off him right about the time he managed to get the second shoe off. She then started working on his belt and his pants, earning her pleased groans and some fumbling caresses.

"I know we said we'd see each other in the morning, but I need you Blair" he said.

"Schhh!" she shushed him. "Keep your voice down."

"Okay I'll try, but no guarantees once you get my pants off. Hey!"

He protested as she pulled down his pants but left his boxers on.

"You forgot an important piece of clothing."

"Lift your foot" Blair commanded and pulled off his sock with the pant leg when he did.

"Hello, Waldorf?" he said while she repeated the action with his other leg. "I'm not a character in a PG-something rated movie, I need my underwear off to have sex."

"First you're going to have some water" she said, making it sound like she was tempting him with El Dorado.

"After."

"Chuck you're drunk."

"And incredibly horny."

"And barely aware of your voice's decibel level. The last thing I want is my mother woken up in the middle of the night by your dirty talk or moans."

He walked over to her bed and grinned at her as he sat down on it.

"You could gag me then. But first why don't you give me a little flashback of that night at Victrola and shed that hot negligee in a dance?"

"First things first."

She disappeared into her bathroom and he moved back on the bed with an excited grin. He then remembered that he was still wearing underwear and crawled out of them in a move that he was kind of glad Blair hadn't been witness to, since it wasn't his most elegant moment. He threw the boxers on the floor and leaned back, eager for her to come back.

She did a few moments later, holding a large glass of water. She did a double take when she saw him sprawled out naked on her bed, and cast a nervous glance at her door. Hopefully Dorota wouldn't wander in to see if they needed any help.

"No thanks, no water for me" Chuck said. "I've had a lot to drink tonight, don't think I could get anything else down."

"You're going to drink it anyway" Blair insisted and stopped a few feet away from the bed. "I don't want you massively hung over tomorrow."

"Baby that's going to happen whether you want it to or not" Chuck grinned. "Now stop acting like my mother and come over here and act like my girlfriend. Did I ever tell you I'm a big fan of drunken sex?"

"Clearly" Blair said, eyeing him as she handed him the glass, which he for some reason obediently took. "Did you take something else besides alcohol? You should be a eunuch with your current blood alcohol level."

"Your affect on me is _this_ strong" Chuck said.

"Drink the water."

"Fine" he sighed, figuring he wouldn't be getting any until he did.

He started to gulp down the water and Blair frowned, wondering how she would get him under the covers. While the sight of him naked and ready was exciting the thought of him waking the entire house was not. He could get pretty loud at times, and she had vague memories of him being _extremely_ loud the one time they had had drunken sex back in junior year. And that time he hadn't been nearly as drunk as he was now.

"There" Chuck said with a touch of pride when the glass was empty. "All done. Now come here."

"Chuck please get under the covers" she tried, smiling sweetly at him in the hopes of being able to simply charm him into doing as she wished.

"We don't have beneath the covers sex" Chuck pointed out.

"First time for everything."

"Let me tell you why we don't have under the covers sex" Chuck said, dropping the glass but luckily it only fell on the comforter. "It gets way too warm, the covers are only in the way all the time and I can't see you properly. I want to _watch_ you."

"Yeah that's great, but a lot less so if somebody walks in" Blair said in a hushed tone, picking up the glass and putting it on the nightstand.

"Who's going to walk in? Room-service?"

"Dorota? Mother? Cyrus?"

"Oh" he said, suddenly remembering they weren't in their hotel room. "Right. Well then let them walk in. I'm sure they've seen similar sights before. Or if not, hell, they'll learn a thing or two."

"Chuck!" Blair said firmly, raising her voice.

She grabbed his arm and started pulling him up, and he realized she was getting annoyed. He caved to her wishes and obediently got up and crawled under her covers.

"I will say…" he mumbled into her sheets. "I do love how they smell like you."

Blair ignored the comment and crawled in next to him, switching the light off as she did.

"No, no, bring back the light" Chuck protested. "I said I want to _watch_ you."

"Chuck" Blair said. "You're going to be a good boy and go to sleep now."

"I'm not sleepy, I'm horny."

A second later his hands were all over her, followed by his hot mouth. He practically wrapped himself around her while tugging at the hem of her negligee and Blair started to give some serious consideration to giving in. He was drunk, but he had no problem remembering how she liked to be touched.

"I want you so much baby" he breathed heavily. "You're such a luxury. So sexy, so perfect… Damn, I love you…"

His mouth found hers and she reciprocated the kiss, wondering if she would get drunk too just from the taste of him.

* * *

Chuck woke up the next morning immediately realizing that by doing so he had effectively ruined his day. He hadn't been this hung over in months, and he was afraid that the slightest movement on his part would either make his head explode or cause him to vomit. The last one would be horribly awkward since he realized Blair was in bed with him.

He opened one eye slightly and saw the back of her head. She was curled up in a fetal position facing away from him but pressed up against him, her negligee feeling soft against his skin. He was lying flat on his stomach with an arm thrown around her and his mouth open. A bad idea, since his mouth was already horribly dry.

He shut his mouth and then his open eye and welcomed the darkness. Moments later he was back asleep, and didn't wake up again until more than three hours later. When he did Blair was no longer in bed, but his initial concern that he might die from a hangover had been doubled.

He was feeling truly awful, and deeply regretted showing up at the Waldorf penthouse last night. Not only did this mean Blair would see him in this not-too-flattering state but it also meant suffering through a hangover with his girlfriend's mother right outside the door. Humiliating was a good word for it. It wasn't like he could sneak out and take refuge in his room at the Palace. He wasn't even sure he could sit up. And he had a sneaking suspicion that getting some hair from the dog that bit him was out of the question.

He carefully opened his eyes and immediately blessed his girlfriend. Even though a glance at her alarm clock told him it was only an hour until noon the curtains were still drawn and the only light in the room came from Blair's writing desk. It was a small lamp which didn't cast a lot of light, making it difficult for her to do whatever she was doing over there, but it spared his head a world of hurt.

He smacked his lips and felt like he was going to be sick. The taste in his mouth was awful and his stomach was wildly protesting against the way he had treated his body the previous night. God, he hoped he wouldn't be sick. The last thing he wanted was for Blair to hear or, God forbid, see him throw up.

Blair suddenly noticed that he was awake and came over to the bed. She had showered but thankfully not used any heavily perfumed products and she looked so good it hurt his eyes. She sat down on the bed next to him and her soft, cool hand landed on his cheek. He opened his eyes again and offered her a faint smile.

"You're awake" she said.

"Unfortunately."

"What can I get you? Water? Food? Aspirin?"

"Got anything that can cure humiliation?" he groaned and covered his eyes with his arm. "Shit, I'm sorry Blair… I didn't exactly represent myself well last night."

"It's no problem."

"Yes it is, it's embarrassing. I haven't gotten this drunk in a long time; I don't know why I ended up drinking so much last night. I should have gone straight to the Palace instead of showing up at your door in the middle of the night."

"Chuck it's not like I don't know you like to drink" Blair pointed out, speaking in a low, soft voice that made him love her more for each word that came out of her mouth. "So what if you had too much?"

"I should know better."

"You're eighteen, not forty. You're allowed to party."

"Yes but it might not be such a hot idea to stumble into my girlfriend's mother's penthouse dead drunk and uninvited. I'm sorry about showing up like that last night."

"Don't be sorry for being you" Blair said and smiled. "I like you."

"I don't" he confessed. "Not right now at least. God my head is killing me…"

"Let me get you some aspirin" Blair said and left the bed.

She returned shortly with aspirin and a large glass of water which she made him drink. She then tried to get him to eat an apple but he refused. In an hour or so he would no doubt get an insane craving for fast food, but right now he didn't want anything at all to eat.

Blair laid down on the bed next to him, but stayed on top of the covers. She snuggled up to him and rested an arm across his belly. He couldn't believe that she would want to be anywhere near him at the moment, he had a pretty good idea of how he currently smelled, and it wasn't like a guy in an Axe commercial.

"Maybe you shouldn't put your arm there…" he mumbled. "Or lie so close. I'm really nauseous and… in case of an emergency…"

"Oh it's a little late for that" Blair said.

"What do you mean?"

"How much do you remember of last night Chuck?"

"Most of it, I think. I remember showing up here, horny out of my mind, and I have a pretty good idea what we talked about. Then you got me under the covers."

"And after that?"

"Only vague memories…"

"We had sex" Blair filled him in. "You were surprisingly good considering the state you were in. Until you suddenly stopped and darted for the bathroom. After you threw up and I got you back into bed you pretty much went out like a light."

Chuck groaned.

"Tell me that didn't happen."

"Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it? I'm Chuck Bass, I do not get so drunk that I can't finish what I've started, and I most certainly do not get sick in your bathroom. That has never happened to me before Blair."

"How would you know?" she said, obviously a bit amused. "You don't remember it happening last night."

"Honestly, I might have to find a building to jump off of if any of that is true" Chuck moaned. "_That_ is why you don't go to your girlfriend when you're that drunk."

She had nothing to say to that. She kissed him on the cheek and got up from the bed, returning a minute later with a book and a book light. She settled in next to him and seemed content to be reading in the dark while her boyfriend suffered through a combination of total embarrassment and massive hangover.

"I'll try to get up and go home once the aspirin kicks in" Chuck offered meekly after a few minutes.

"Are you crazy? You're staying right here."

"You can't tell me this is your idea of a good time. Isn't there some other way you want to spend your… what day of the week is it?"

"Tuesday. To answer your other question, no, not really. I'm with you, and that's where I want to be."

"Who can blame you when I'm such stimulating company?"

"I'd rather be with you when you're like this than be with anybody else in the entire world, doing anything at all."

A smile crept across his face and he turned on his side and curled up in a ball in an effort to ease the nausea. He felt her hand run through his hair and then caress his head for a good while. He was torn between feeling horrified that she saw him in this state and feeling pleased that he could suffer through this in her presence.

* * *

The rest of the day went by slowly, with Blair nursing him through his hangover with some assistance from Dorota. After failing to get him to eat lunch Blair left him alone for a while so that she could eat. Then she got him in the shower while Dorota changed the sheets and he felt a lot better getting back under the covers freshly showered.

Little by little he started feeling better, and eventually his fast food cravings set in. Blair broke one of her main house rules and allowed pizza in bed, which they ate while watching "_Thundercats_" which she for some reason had on DVD. Blair then sent Dorota out to run a few errands and they had slow, gentle hangover sex, which Chuck claimed worked much better than having another drink.

By the time Eleanor and Cyrus got home from work and dinner was put on the table Chuck was back on his feet, if still feeling pretty lousy. Blair had quickly thrown his clothes from the previous night in the laundry basket and dressed him up in a pair of jeans and a shirt Dorota had picked up while she was out on her errands. Chuck protested to being clad in jeans but apparently that was Dorota's way of teaching him a lesson for overdoing it with the alcohol the night before.

He managed to show up for dinner, even though he didn't have much of an appetite. Luckily he was an expert at pretending to be feeling pristine, having sat through countless meals with his father while being either drunk or hung over. As far as he could tell Eleanor and Cyrus didn't seem to notice anything being amiss.

He made an early retreat with Blair that evening and found himself back in her bed by nine o'clock. Blair snuggled close and he enjoyed the luxury of having her in his arms. She seemed to have had a productive day, even aside from caring for her ill boyfriend. She had finished three chapters in the book she had been reading when he first came back from Europe, a book she hadn't touched for three weeks after that. She had also gone through her closet and sorted out everything that was too last season to be fashionable now, and gone on Spotify to make a playlist of songs that reminded her of the two of them. Which was more or less every positive love song in existence, or at least that was how he felt.

Right now they were listening to her playlist while cuddling in bed. He had to admit that even though he had wanted to swallow the entire bottle of aspirin that morning and never wake up again, today had actually been fairly okay. It was beyond a doubt the best day-after he had ever had. For a second he wished he could find the words to tell Blair that, to let her know how much it meant to him that she was there. The thought quickly went away. "Honey I love how you take care of me when I'm curled up in bed praying for death thanks to drinking far too much last night" didn't really have a very romantic feel to it.

"You feeling any better?" Blair asked, caressing his head.

"Actually I am" he said. "But man, that was some hangover… I won't be doing this again for quite a while."

"I know this sounds weird, but it's nice to see you vulnerable every once in a while" she said softly. "I hate seeing you feel so sick, but I'm glad I finally get to take care of you when you're not feeling well."

A faint smile appeared on his lips. It seemed like he would have to say something after all.

"Thank you Blair" he said after a moment's thought. "You looking after me today went above and beyond the duties of a girlfriend."

"Chuck…" she said with a chuckle. "Relationship lesson: Taking care of each other when your partner is feeling under the weather is exactly what girlfriends and boyfriends are for. You're in a real relationship now Chuck. When you're sick or hung over or depressed I will be taking care of you. Just like you will be looking after me when it's my turn to have had too much to drink."

"Isn't it things like that that take the sexy out of a relationship?" Chuck had to wonder. "You saw me puke last night. That couldn't have been a turn on."

"It wasn't" Blair laughed. "But I loved that you came to me, that you wanted to be with me last night."

"I always want to be with you, you know that."

"And I feel closer to you after today. You had a pretty lousy day but I got to share it with you, and that makes me feel like we're more connected."

"I seriously don't know what I've done to deserve having someone feel fortunate that they got to nurse me through this" Chuck remarked. "It's… I mean, that is what real luxury is. That someone cares about you like that."

"And I always will" Blair smiled and kissed him lovingly.

He pulled her closer and wrapped a leg around her. He wasn't feeling embarrassed anymore. It was like she had said, he felt more connected to her. She really was there for real, invested in them even when things weren't sexy and beautiful and happy.

They stayed silent for a while, looking into each other's eyes while letting the music play. "_Chasing Cars_" began to play and he felt a smile spread across his face.

"I like this song" he commented.

"Mmm…" Blair said. "So do I. It makes me think of you… and us."

"Same for me… Which is a blessing, because I finally have something to associate it with other than '_Grey's Anatomy_'."

"You know which songs have been on '_Grey's Anatomy_'?" Blair said, barely believing what she was hearing.

"Yes I do, and no I don't watch the show. Serena does however, on repeat, and she has some form of fetish for blubbering at the episodes where the dad from '_Supernatural_' dies like three times over. Personally I think she just likes the prom and crying over sad death scenes is just a cover."

Blair laughed and pressed herself closer to him. He responded by kissing her and letting his hands begin to caress her.

"Chuck…" she said. "I don't want anybody to hear us."

"Oh I'll be quiet" he whispered.

He was quiet. And quick. It was short, intense and absolutely wonderful. He relaxed again by her side as the final lines of the song seemed to wrap up the day they had had.

"_If I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?_"

* * *

Next update will be… uh, sometime in the future. Not exactly sure when.

Obviously I borrowed a line from Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars", completely without permission. If you're not familiar with the song, do a youtube search (add in "Chuck and Blair" to your search and get like a hundred fan videos). It's a really good song.

See you next time, thanks for reading! Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Not as much fluff this time! Hope you'll still like it!

* * *

"That was completely unnecessary!" Blair scowled, storming out of the theatre with Chuck in tow.

It was Friday night and they were out on the town dressed to the nines. Blair had wanted a night out, tired by now of always staying in, and since they had previously established that Chuck and Blair don't go to the movies they had opted for the opera instead.

Except Chuck had found the opera incredibly boring, which had surprised Blair. He had never complained about going to the opera before, in fact she knew he was a fan of both "_Aida_" and "_Madam Butterfly_", but apparently tonight's show had bored him. Which was unfortunate, but she had at least expected him to keep his mouth shut about it during the show. Instead he had loudly voiced his opinion no less than three times, leaving Blair feeling so embarrassed that she decided to leave during intermission.

"Come on Blair" he now sighed, following three steps behind her.

"No, I will not come on" she snarled. "Just because you thought the opera was boring that doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everybody else."

"You can't seriously tell me you thought it was an engaging performance" Chuck countered. "It was like torture to the ears. And I _like_ opera."

She spun around and shot him a death glare.

"I would have found it a hell of a lot more engaging if my boyfriend hadn't griped loudly every five minutes" she said.

He just shrugged a shoulder, not really caring what she thought about him voicing his opinion. It was the only thing he had been able to think of to keep himself awake and she would probably have been even more annoyed if he had fallen asleep.

"You could have just kept your mouth shut and suggested we leave during intermission" Blair continued.

"I'm sorry Blair, I hated the show and that's just that."

She scowled and turned around again, striding up to the waiting limo. He got in after her, noting how she demonstratively sat as far away from him as possible.

"You're overreacting" he said.

"No, I'm not" she said. "Arthur! Take me home to my mother's penthouse."

"Right, that's not overreacting" he said with rolling eyes.

"You don't get it, do you? I wanted a night out with my boyfriend and you couldn't even manage that without raining all over it."

"Well it was a nice opera you picked."

"First of all, how was I supposed to know you'd hate it?" she said. "Second of all, I actually liked it."

"You liked _that_?"

"I did. But I couldn't enjoy it, thanks to you."

"Okay, okay, so what is it going to take to make this go away?" he sighed. "Want me to sit through one of your Hepburn movies?"

"Don't bother martyring yourself by _sitting through_ anything" Blair said and made a face at him. "I'm going home and you can spend the evening doing whatever the hell you want. Give my best to your hand."

"The idea makes sense to me" Chuck said. "I made you walk out of the opera you liked so in return I'll watch a movie of your choosing."

"You can't just trade them like that" Blair argued. "Besides, that's not even the point."

"Right, the point is I can dislike the stuff you like so long as I don't say anything."

"The point is you embarrassed me! I thought you had grown up, I thought you knew how to behave. Obviously I was wrong. I can't believe this."

"Blair…"

"You know what, don't talk to me. I just want to ride the rest of the way in silence."

He was quiet for a moment, eyeing her carefully. He remembered this issue, it had been brought up in junior year as her main reason for why they couldn't be together in public.

"I'm sorry" he said after a while.

"You always are. Then you go right ahead and do it again."

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Blair was furious and Chuck had no idea what to say or do to change that. This was unfamiliar territory. Not Blair being furious with him, but his _girlfriend_ Blair being furious with him. Unlike before he couldn't just finish the argument off with a witty remark and withdraw to his own corner until she was ready to come out and play again. Now it actually mattered whether or not they parted angry.

Before he could figure out what to say or do they arrived at the Waldorf penthouse. Blair moved past him to step out of the car and he grabbed her arm. She glared at him but he didn't let that stop him.

"Blair I'm sorry" he said again.

She yanked her arm loose and got out without saying anything. The door slammed shut and he saw her stride inside her building just as the limo began to drive off. He closed his eyes hard and felt the all too familiar feeling of depression wash over him. He hadn't felt like this since he had professed his love for her. Now he was not only feeling down, he was feeling worried.

Deep down he knew it wasn't rational to feel worried. Couples argued, it happened. It wasn't the end of the world. But at the moment his relationship with Blair felt very fragile. It had taken such a long time and cost so much to get to where they were now and the strength of their relationship hadn't been put to the test yet. Not knowing how much it could bear before it would break was scary. Even though this particular argument wouldn't cause a break it made him wonder what kind of argument could.

So was the thought of going to bed alone tonight. Not only that, but going to bed having fallen out with each other. That thought scared him more than anything else. He wasn't sure how he should handle the situation. Obviously there was nothing he could do to prevent them from sleeping apart tonight, she had to cool off first.

He got back to the Palace and headed straight for the minibar while getting rid of his bowtie and unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. He glanced over at the bed and then emptied the glass of scotch he had just poured himself. He had never slept in that bed without her. Funny how he could react this way after only four weeks together. But the thought of getting into that bed without being able to reach out and touch her, without kissing her goodnight, made him feel depressed. Especially knowing that she was in her own bedroom being angry with him.

He sat down by the table and opened his laptop, eager to find something to take his mind off their fight. Nothing seemed to interest him though. He stopped by news sites, sports sites, porn sites, Gossip Girl and a few message boards but nothing seemed interesting.

With a groan he filled his glass again and opened up his e-mail account. He hadn't talked to Nate in almost a month, he might as well write him and ask how he was doing in Europe. Off being bored to tears with that Brooklyn broad no doubt.

He wrote quickly and without saying much about his own summer thus far. He hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to Nate about the whole Blair thing before Nate went to Europe and he wasn't quite sure it was alright to go on and on about what they were up to.

He finished writing and pressed send just as someone knocked on the door. He got up, took a sip of scotch, and walked over to answer.

It was Blair. Still in her evening dress, giving him a stern look.

"Fine" she said. "Storming off home might have been a bit of an overreaction. Though not by much."

He stepped aside and she strode in to the hotel room. He tried to hide the smile that came over his face. He wasn't forgiven apparently, but at least she was there.

Blair didn't say anything further. She threw the bedspread aside and yanked her pillow away to grab the nightie she had put there this morning. She then walked over to Chuck and turned her back to him.

"Unzip me."

He did as told and then watched as she walked into the bathroom to change into her nightie and brush her teeth. He shook his head, not really sure what the heck was going on, but decided to follow her example.

He shut down his laptop and got out of his clothes before getting into his silk pajamas. He then walked into the bathroom where she was removing her makeup. Their eyes met in the mirror and she looked away after glaring at him for a second. He gently nudged her to the side to make room for him to brush his teeth.

When he was done he walked back out and crawled into bed, opting for sitting up instead of lying down. Blair followed a few minutes later, not saying a word until she had gotten under the covers.

"I'm still angry."

"I got that."

"I felt humiliated at the opera."

"I'm sorry about that."

"You are such a stubborn, uncouth ass."

"I realize that."

She then seemed to soften a bit.

"I was really looking forward to going out tonight. I'm so disappointed that it ended up like this."

"I'm sorry I ruined tonight for you" he said. "I don't want to embarrass you, or make you angry. I guess I just… haven't figured out when to shut up yet. Or how to behave like a proper boyfriend in public."

Her next move surprised him. She sat up and moved so that she was straddling him, her arms resting on his shoulders.

"Promise me you'll at least try to behave" she said seriously. "I hate to nag, I don't want to be one of those girlfriends who tries to change who their boyfriends are because who you are is why I love you. Just… try to show yourself from your best side when we're out in public, okay?"

"Anything for you" he said.

She nodded slightly. He waited for her to say something else. She looked sad and he hated that. But at least she was there. She didn't want to go to bed angry any more than he did.

"I'm really glad you came, Blair" he said and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "I drank two glasses of scotch just to make friends with the thought of going to bed without you tonight."

"I didn't want us to end the night on the note we did" she said.

"Then let's end it on a better one."

He leaned forward and kissed her. She seemed to relax a bit and kissed him back.

"It was a stupid fight" she said with a little laugh.

"Maybe… Maybe not… You may have overreacted but you made some valid points."

She caressed his cheek and gave him a halfhearted smile. He felt himself starting to relax for real. So the fight was pretty much over. They had had their first falling out and it had ended with her straddling him in bed. Things could be a lot worse than that. It was luxurious to hold her like this after she had been so angry with him. To be able to fight and make up.

"You feeling okay?" he asked. "You look sad still."

"I'm just sad we had our first argument as a couple" she said. "And I'm sad we almost went to bed angry. And separately."

"But we didn't" he pointed out. "My wonderful girlfriend decided to be the better person and came over to sort things out before bed."

A genuine smile appeared on her face and he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.

"Technically we sorted it out _in_ bed" she said. "But before going to sleep at least."

"Yes, which means you can give me another relationship lesson before we call it a night. One of the few sexual territories I'm not familiar with. Care to teach me all about make-up sex?"

Apparently she did. She kissed him hungrily and he hugged her as tight as he dared to. She was amazing. Their fight was nothing. And the evening he had feared would be the first where he went to sleep in this bed alone would end with the two of them making love.

Luxury.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

And we're back on the fluff! I'm going to have to start getting more creative soon, lol.

Thanks again to those of you who review. Your opinions and your comments mean a lot!

* * *

Chuck had been about to point out to Blair that anniversaries happened once a _year_. There was no such thing as a "one month" anniversary, by definition an anniversary was an _annual_ thing. But she had been so eager to celebrate their first month together that he had kept his mouth shut and agreed to whatever she had planned for them to do. After all, where was the harm in celebrating which was undeniably a milestone for him? A whole month of dating someone.

So they went out to dinner and then headed back to his hotel room where he was treated to Blair in the sexiest corset he had seen so far. Afterward he opened a bottle of champagne and handed her a glass filled almost to the brim.

"One month" she said and clinked her flute to his before taking a sip.

She wrapped a leg across him and leaned her head against his. She studied the bubbles in her glass and enjoyed the way the champagne flute reflected the flickering candlelight that lit up the room. Chuck's laptop was sitting on the small table over by the wall on Blair's side of the bed, playing the "Blair and Chuck" playlist she had created the day he was hung over at her mother's penthouse. Chuck had made a few additions to the playlist since then and it was the perfect soundtrack to their one month celebration.

"This scene would almost be corny if it wasn't for the price of the champagne" Chuck remarked with a smirk.

"Please, like we could ever be corny."

"You have to admit, this is balancing on the line. Candles, champagne, somewhere around one thousand love songs…"

"It's called 'new love'" Blair informed him.

"New? I don't know where you've been but it's the relationship that's merely a month old, not the feelings."

"Yes but the honeymoon stage is all about how everything is new and exciting, and every song is about us and we can't survive for ten minutes without each other and people want to throw garbage at us when we go outside because we look too sickeningly happy…"

"Good thing we rarely go outside then."

She smiled and clinked her glass to his again. He watched her take two deep sips and smiled to himself. A month ago they had also shared champagne in bed after making love, and that night he had ended up teaching her all new ways to use the bubbly. Perhaps they should do an homage to that, to properly celebrate.

"I've got to disagree on one account though" he said. "About all love songs being about us? I agree that every song I hear makes me _think_ of you, but I don't think all of them _fit_ us."

"How do you mean?"

"Like those who are all about how it was love at first sight… I didn't feel that way about you when we first met and you didn't feel that way about me either."

"We were four years old."

"True, but the songs sing about love at first sight, not love at first _adult_ sight. And even if they did, I looked at you in a lot of ways before I looked at you with anything resembling love."

"I don't follow."

"Let's just say that you being my best friend's girlfriend didn't exactly stop me from picturing you when I--"

"Whatever the end to that sentence is I don't want to hear it" Blair said, making a face. "Come on Bass, this is supposed to be romantic."

"I think reality is more romantic than fantasy" Chuck said.

"Some things aren't romantic no matter what spin you put on it."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. He knew she liked to flee into her fantasies, and while he would very much like to hear her tell him about those fantasies in more detail he personally preferred looking at things the way they were. Even if in her mind he was slaying dragons and rescuing her from castle towers it wasn't real. It couldn't compete with waking up together and sharing kiss after kiss even though both badly needed to brush their teeth. That was grittier, but it had the benefit of being something real.

"So why haven't you gone and removed half the songs I put on this playlist?" Blair asked. "If you think they're silly and don't fit us."

"Just because _I_ don't think they fit us that doesn't mean _you_ don't" he said. "So long as there's something in them that makes me think of you I have no intention of removing them from your playlist, and like I said before, almost every song has _something_."

"Okay, then tell me one song that you think fits us."

"How about this one?"

The song currently playing was Alicia Keys' "_No One_". Blair smiled and kissed his cheek before taking another sip of champagne.

"Good choice Bass. But name one that isn't playing at the moment."

"How about… '_Halo_'. You kind of are my saving grace."

"Okay, I can accept that."

"How benevolent of you" he chuckled.

"I have to admit, you do surprise me Bass" she said, tipping her champagne flute so that some of the liquid spilled down on his chest, making him flinch.

"Do I now?" he said in an inhale.

"You really do" she said, leaning down to lick up the champagne. "Mm… Champagne goes well with bass."

"And you're not one to be out-done…" he commented. "If anybody's full of surprises it's you, my dear."

"I just never pegged you for a sentimental sap" Blair said, letting her finger play on the hairs on his chest, now wet from the champagne.

"Chuck Bass is not a sentimental sap."

"But you are. Who would have ever guessed? I could text Gossip Girl and include a video of this particular scene and still nobody would believe it."

"You'd include a video of exactly this?" he smirked. "Both of us naked on the bed?"

"Like your naked body isn't something everyone in Manhattan's already seen" she said.

"Oh but now this is for your eyes only, kitten."

She giggled and gave him a kiss.

"Not that I mind the sappiness…" she then said, reaching up to grab the champagne bottle and fill her flute again.

"Are we still talking about that?"

"Mainly it's because I like to imagine that I'm the only woman in the world who could ever make you want to lie around in a candlelit room and list the romantic songs that make you think of me."

"You wouldn't be far off with that assumption."

"Good" she smiled, kissing him again.

"Just don't expect this to happen too often. This is our one-month anniversary so it's a special occasion."

"Got it. Sappiness only occurs once a month."

"Missing the point, Waldorf."

She laughed and sat up to straddle him. He gazed up at her and marveled at the sight as she took three deep sips from her champagne and then smiled sweetly down at him.

"Okay, enough with the sappiness" she said. "Let's see just how _dirty_ I can get you to be on this lovely eve of our one month anniversary."

"I'd say pretty dirty" he grinned.

She briskly turned her flute on its head, half a glass of champagne splashing down on him. She smiled wickedly.

"Yes, would you look at that… You're dirtier already."

He closed his eyes and enjoyed himself to the fullest as she leaned over him and began to lick the champagne off him. Together they then celebrated one month of luxury, over and over, until they were out of both energy and champagne.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review! New update coming within days.


	9. Chapter 9

Okay these two have been spending way too much time in the bedroom in these chapters… Time for a new setting!

As per always, thanks and eternal gratitude to all of you who review.

* * *

In a fit of giggles Blair stumbled through the door out on the patio of her father's beach house. Chuck followed two steps behind her, grabbing a hold of her and pulling her close. It was the fourth of July and they had gone out to Harold Waldorf's beach house to celebrate away from the city.

"Come here" Chuck breathed hot in her ear, shaking her about a little, causing another round of giggles.

"It is so _hot_" Blair exclaimed through her laughter.

"It's July."

She turned to face him and they began passionately kissing. They had both had a little more wine than necessary at dinner and when they had gotten back to the house Chuck had gotten it into his head that he would make margaritas. They had ended up with a rather large pitcher of apple margaritas, but they hadn't gotten to actually drinking any yet.

"Oh!" Blair cried, breaking the kiss. "Fireworks! The fireworks are starting!"

She jumped up and down with excitement. Then she shot off towards the steps leading down to the beach, in such a hurry that Chuck lost his grip on her.

"Blair?"

"Come on!" she cried. "I want to go swimming!"

"What? It's the middle of the night."

"Don't tell me a Bass doesn't like the water" she laughed, flying down the steps.

"Hey wait up!"

He followed her down on the beach and caught up with her after a few paces. She turned, grabbed his hands and practically danced around on the beach.

"Come on!" she cried happily. "I'm going in the water, let's have a swim, together."

"I don't think that's such a…. Blair!"

She let go of his hands and ran three steps before stopping to take off her strappy sandals. Once they were off she reached up and ran her hands through her long, loose curls, shaking her hair with a wild cry. She shot Chuck a look and laughed happily before taking off running again, heading straight for the shoreline.

"Blair!"

She ignored him and continued towards the water. While she ran she reached down and grabbed the hem of her dress, pulling it over her head and tossing it aside.

"Hey I bought you that dress!"

"Don't be such a sissy" she yelled with a giggle.

"Blair… Come on!"

He saw her run into the water, stopping only when it reached her knees. She turned around and for a moment he lost his breath completely. She was truly a vision, a wild and crazy vision, standing in the water with her dark curls flowing around her face, wearing nothing but a tiny thong and a lace bra. The moon was reflected in the water and so were the countless fireworks that lit up the sky behind and above her.

"God I love you" he called out to her. "But seriously Blair, enough. Come back up. We can have fun on the beach, believe you me."

"What's wrong with the water?" she laughed.

"It's dark and you've had wine."

"Why won't you come play with me, Daddy?" she playfully pouted, mocking his seriousness.

"Seriously. I just think we'd be better off up on shore."

"Serena and I used to do this all the time" she shrugged.

She then turned her back to him and began wadding out in the water. He walked a few steps further, letting his imagination run wild with the idea of Blair and Serena going for a lightly clad swim together. Then he again became aware of how dark it was as he stopped and picked up the shoes she had tossed aside.

"Have you ever seen the movie '_Jaws_'?" he asked.

"Then come save me from the big bad shark!"

He continued to walk closer, picking up her dress when he reached it.

"Fine, you've had your swim. Daddy wants to build a sandcastle."

Instead of answering she sunk down below the surface and disappeared from his view. He stared at the spot where she had disappeared, holding his breath until she resurfaced. God, she looked even more glorious now, dripping wet from head to toe and with that long beautiful hair fixed to her body. She smirked at him, sunk down so that everything from her waist and down was underwater and then after a moment held something up.

"Come join me Chuck… and I'll make it worth your while."

She flung what was in her hand at him and it landed with a wet smack on his shoulder. He picked it up and thought he might lose his mind. It was her thong, good and ruined by the salty water but he had never cared less about ruined underwear.

He looked up just in time to see her throw herself backwards for a back flip and his resolve almost faded entirely. Her face became visible again and she shook her head at him before turning around. With long, even strokes she began to swim, further and further out. He stepped closer to the water and felt his chest tighten.

"Are you done now?" he called out to her.

"Maybe you should come out here and bring me back to shore" she called back.

"Can you at least stick to playing where I can see you?"

"You can't see me out here?"

"Not if you're standing on the bottom."

She threw her head back in a fit of giggles and splashed water around her. Then she took a deep breath and dove underneath the surface like a dolphin. The last he saw was her splashing feet and then she was out of sight. He counted the seconds until she came into view again, thirty, but at least when she emerged she was closer to the shoreline.

He was getting quite angry with her, but it was impossible to maintain that anger when her feet found the sandy bottom and she slowly began to walk towards him, rising inch by inch from the water, giving him a perfect view of her wet body.

"Dear God Blair…" he breathed.

Once she got so far up that the water level was at her knees she started running, and he prepared to be accosted by her wet form. For a brief second he wondered how cold the water was but then he pushed that thought from his mind. Once she had wrapped her soaking body around him he would have to take his clothes off, and then things would start to get fun.

He wasn't prepared however for what she had in mind. Instead of throwing her arms around him and kissing him like he had envisioned she grabbed his hand and yanked him towards him, making him drop her dress and shoes in the process.

"What do you have against the water?" she asked.

"I like the water. Just not in the middle of the night. It's kind of creepy."

"My nervous little sissy" she smiled and gave him a kiss that immediately went up on his Top Five Kisses ranking.

He reached forward and grabbed a hold of her waist, attempting to pull her closer before he let his hands trail down to her naked bottom. But she grabbed a hold of his hands and backed towards the water, leading him with her.

"You want more?" she asked.

"Oh hell yes."

"Then you're going to have to join me in the water."

"I don't want to get my clothes wet" he said, knowing it was a lame excuse.

"I am more than willing to kiss you and touch you and completely upstage those fireworks" she said, nodding up towards the night sky where the fireworks were still cracking. "But I will be in the water. You want me? You have to join me."

She turned and walked back into the water, moving her hips seductively as she went. When she bent over to splash her face with water his mind was made up. Before he could make a move though she spun around and splashed water up at him.

"Hey!" he protested.

"Now your clothes are wet, Bass" she laughed. "Might as well make me company."

"Careful miss, you are getting dangerously close to needing a spanking" he said, kicking off his shoes and trying to get his socks off without losing his balance.

"You'll have to catch me first" she said, running back out into deeper water and diving forward when it reached her hips.

He managed to get out of his clothes, albeit with a lot more fumbling than he would have liked, and finally took a few steps into the water. Then he quickly backed up on the sand again. The water felt much colder now than it had during the day.

"Seriously Bass, don't keep me waiting much longer" her voice came from further out than he would have liked.

"It's cold" he yelled, realizing he sounded like a winy child.

"I can make you feel warmer."

Oh he bet she could.

She swam back towards him and stopped right where the water went just up above her hips. Each wave that came made the water rise up to her chest. She took three steps closer to him, and now the waves brought the water up to her waist. When they sank down he could see the part of her that had been hidden by a certain ruined thong just minutes ago.

Cold water and dark nights be damned. He walked into the water, eager to get to her, but just as he was about to reach her she sunk down and swam around him with a giggle.

"Oh come on…"

"Glad to see you joining the party Bass."

"You got me in the water, now come give me my big reward."

"I want to play first" she said.

She splashed some water at him with another giggle and soon he found himself chasing her around. She led him out into deeper waters where he had no choice but to start to swim, but she turned out to be faster than him. She swam in a circle around him and headed back to shore, him eagerly in tow.

When she got closer to the beach she reached down with her feet and began to run as best as she could. Once they were running rather than swimming he soon caught up with her. With a firm grip around her waist he leaned backwards so that her entire body was lifted up from the water. Shrieking with laughter she let her legs kick about. He had thought he would be able to hold his balance but it didn't take much before he felt himself falling backwards, dragging her with him back under the surface.

He let go of her and shook his head to get the water away from his eyes once he reemerged. He had been dead set on not getting his head under water but now he was just as wet as she was. While he sputtered she took a few strokes further out but stopped where the water reached her waist.

"Now look what you made me do" he said with a smile. "My hair is completely ruined. I hope you're happy."

He came up to her and put his hands on her hips at the same time as her arms wrapped around his neck. They pulled each other close and kissed passionately. He reached up his hands and unclasped her bra, pulling her apart from him for a second to let it fall down into the water. She meekly protested as it began to float away.

"Chuck… My Calvin Klein…"

"I'll buy you a new one."

They kissed hungrily and he was sure he had died and gone to heaven when he felt her legs wrap around his waist. He had actually never had sex while waist deep in water before but he swore he would break up with her on the spot if she denied him that tonight.

Their hands roamed over each other's bodies and the kisses became more and more passionate. They made love while the last of the fireworks lit up the sky, and Chuck swore it was one of the best sexual experiences of his life.

When he finally let go of her waist she placed an open mouthed kiss on his chest and then backed away, letting herself sink back into the water. She turned and began to swim again; this time he came with her. They swam as far out as they dared go before trying to kiss while peddling water but it turned out to be too much of a challenge when they weren't entirely sober.

After a few minutes he nodded towards the beach and they both began to swim back to shore. They emerged from the water together and he took a long, close look at her, taking in her beauty in the light from the moon. Her wet hair now covered her breasts and he longed to reach out and move it to the side, but at the same time she looked pretty alluring the way she was right now. His gorgeous Lady Godiva.

As if on cue they both stopped before they were entirely up on dry land. With every wave that came crashing in water came up to their ankles. Blair sunk down on the sand, exhausted and feeling completely sober. Chuck sat down next to her and they looked out on the water in silence before Blair leaned back and stretched out.

"Happy fourth of July, Chuck."

Chuck watched her with a loving smile. Her hair, which was always so perfect, now had sand and a bit of seaweed in it, which he would no doubt have to help her get rid of in the shower. He didn't mind. The cold water had been refreshing, but the air wasn't temperate enough to completely warm them up. The thought of having sex again while the hot water from the shower warmed them up was making his mouth water.

But why wait until they were in the shower? She was right there, naked in front of him and unable to resist. He leaned down and found a nipple with his mouth, smiling to himself when he heard her moan.

"God, that was…" Blair panted as another wave reached them, making her hair flow around her. "This is…"

"Luxury?" he suggested as he slowly began to explore her with his hands and lips.

"Yeah."

* * *

Going swimming when you've been drinking is definitely not something I condone or recommend... But it's Chuck and Blair and when have they ever been prone to caution? Just don't try it at home, kids!

That's all for now. Please review and have a lovely day.


	10. Chapter 10

Hi all! Quick little update for this story in-between my other updates. Hope you'll enjoy!

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"I'm hungry" Blair said.

"Life's tough" Chuck replied. "Get a helmet."

"Seriously, let's go up to the house and have lunch."

Chuck made a face. They were sitting in sun chairs out on the beach, working on their tans and enjoying the lovely summer's day. He had relaxed completely and had begun to drift off when she announced her hunger. He didn't feel like moving a single muscle.

"In an hour" he said.

"I'm hungry _now_" she retorted, taking off her sunglasses to look at him.

"Okay" he said and let out a relaxed sigh. "Bring me back a turkey sandwich will you?"

"Excuse me?"

"If you're going up to get food you might as well bring me back a sandwich."

"You just said you wanted to wait an hour."

"But if you're going up there…"

"Chuck" she complained. "Come on, we're going up to the house together."

"Do we really want to be one of those couples who do _everything_ together?"

"Do you really want to be one of those men who expect their woman to go make lunch while they just sit on their asses?"

"I prefer that to moving right now" Chuck said. "I'm really comfy Blair; I don't want to get up and walk all the way up to the house."

"It's like 300 feet."

"Which is like 300 feet further than I plan on going within the nearest hour."

"You are such a dull jerk" she huffed and got up from her sun chair. Then she switched tactics and employed her cute voice. "Please Chuck. Won't you come with me? I will miss you too much while I'm gone."

"Then stay. Honestly, I can wait another hour."

She snorted at him and began to walk back up to the house. He took off his sunglasses and turned to look at her.

"Hey bring back a cooling bag" he shouted to her. "With some beer and some fruit. And the sandwiches."

She didn't reply. He put his sunglasses back on and leaned back, relaxing in the sun. He soon drifted off to sleep, waking up when something landed on his lap with a thud. He jolted and looked down at the saran wrapped sandwich Blair had tossed him.

"Turkey sandwich, as you ordered" she said, putting a large cooling bag down between their chairs.

"Really?"

"Don't believe me, taste it for yourself."

"I wasn't expecting you to bring me anything" he said, unwrapping the sandwich. "Except maybe a bucket of ice water."

"Before we were dating I probably would have" Blair chirped, sitting down on her chair. "Now that you're my boyfriend I want you to be happy."

He smirked and took a bite.

"This is delicious" he said. "I never knew you had a talent for preparing bread. Here I thought Dorota was in charge of making sandwiches at the Waldorf household."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me" Blair claimed.

"Seriously, I was not expecting you to bring me anything edible."

"Which is another thing you didn't know about me. I like making people I love happy. It makes _me_ happy."

"Well it was very sweet of you."

She smiled and gave him an air kiss before taking a bite from her own sandwich. Chuck opened the cooling bag and fished out two beers, one for her and one for him.

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm drinking _beer_" Blair said, taking a sip.

"It's amazing what you do for love."

"I can't believe _you_ drink beer."

"Normally I would prefer a glass of chardonnay" Chuck shrugged. "But since we forgot to bring more than two bottles we're all out and honestly, a cold beer can be pretty nice during a hot summer's day."

"The only time I drink beer is if I'm eating Mexican and it's a corona with a slice of lime" Blair claimed. "I'm really slumming it."

"You're right" Chuck nodded. "Beer and self-made turkey sandwiches instead of white wine and crab sandwiches from a fancy deli. This whole committed relationship thing has really turned us ghetto."

"Oh God…" Blair sighed. "Chuck if I ever say the words: 'We should get a' followed by the word: 'Winnebago', please do the humane thing and put me out of my misery as quickly as possible."

"You've got it" Chuck smirked. "Though I do like the sound of sentences beginning with: '_We_ should get a'…"

"Hm, and what would you end that sentence with?" Blair asked. "Dog?"

"No thanks."

"Bottle of champagne?"

"More to my liking."

"Joint account?"

"Some day."

"Pool?"

He chuckled.

"Random, but sure."

"Room?"

"Oh yes please."

She laughed and took a deep sip from her beer, eternally grateful that this was a private beach and she was probably safe from ending up on Gossip Girl drinking beer directly from the bottle. She wasn't sure she could survive that kind of humiliation.

"I'm surprised you didn't choke on your sandwich when I mentioned a joint account" she then said, busying herself with taking a bite from her sandwich to avoid seeing whatever look came over his face.

"If you wanted one _now_ I would be a little freaked" he admitted. "But someday down the line… I know we haven't discussed those kind of things, and I know it's too early to be talking about the future, but let's be honest, we both know there is a future here."

"Future as in with dogs, joint accounts and pools?"

"And many, many rooms."

She laughed.

"Well Bass, even if it is too soon to start having serious talks about the future, we can still talk about the near future, right?"

"What did you have in mind?" he asked finishing the last of his sandwich.

"You applying sunscreen to my back" Blair said.

She sat up with her back to him and finished her sandwich while he obediently fished out the sunscreen from the bag she had brought down that morning and began to apply it to her back. He took his time, giving the illusion that he was being very thorough while they both knew he was just enjoying a legitimate reason to touch her out where someone might see them.

When he was finally done he untied her bikini top, wrapped his arms around her from behind and gave her neck a kiss, smiling into her neck as she giggled. They enjoyed the embrace for a short moment and then he got up and moved back to his own chair.

Blair adjusted her sun chair so she could lie comfortably on it on her stomach and then stretched out to tan her back.

"Thanks for untying my top" she mumbled. "I hate having a tan line on my back, it makes wearing backless dresses such a pain."

"Whenever undressing needs to be done, I am here to serve" Chuck replied.

She smiled and reached for his hand. He took it and leaned back in his chair. He realized they had just had their first conversation about anything further ahead in the future than a week or two. It felt weird to have someone to plan a future with, but it was also a luxurious feeling. Especially luxurious was getting to be the one who planned a future with _her_.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review =)


	11. Chapter 11

Uhm, not much to say about this chapter… Hope you'll enjoy!

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Chuck stirred in his sleep and wondered what had woke him up. It was their last night at Harold's beach house and he had been fast asleep. He didn't usually wake up in the middle of the night without something or someone disturbing him.

He lifted himself up slightly on his left arm when he noticed Blair wasn't in bed next to him. He looked around the room and spotted her by the window. He could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Blair what are you doing?" he groaned and laid back down. "Come back to bed."

"Did you hear the thunder?" she asked.

"Mmm…" he mumbled.

He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. But when he realized she hadn't gotten back into bed he opened one eye, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Seriously Blair, come back to bed" he complained. "I'm trying to sleep. You'll wake me when you get back in bed."

There was a flash, followed by a rumble several seconds later.

"There?" Blair said. "Did you hear that? We need to go unplug the TV."

"What?"

"Dorota always unplugs the TV when there's a thunderstorm" Blair said.

"We'll buy Harold a new TV if the one he has is zapped by lightning" Chuck mumbled. "Now get back into bed before I lose my patience."

Blair closed the curtains and obediently got back underneath the covers. She clutched the comforter and stared at the ceiling, occasionally glancing towards the window. Chuck threw an arm around her and drifted back to sleep.

Another flash, brighter than the one before, lit up the room. Blair sat up with a start, waking Chuck up again.

"What the-" he began but Blair shushed him.

He studied her with a mixture of curiosity, annoyance and confusion while she seemed completely focused. When the crack that belonged with the flash came it was loud. Lightning had clearly struck somewhere.

"It's just two kilometers away" Blair said, sounding spooked.

"Blair please don't speak metric in the middle of the night" Chuck groaned. "Lie back down."

She did, and curled up close to him. He wrapped his arm around her again and attempted to go back to sleep. But when the next flash came and she flinched he realized he probably wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon. If nothing else it probably wasn't very boyfriendly to ignore your oddly spooked girlfriend and doze off.

"Ten seconds" she whispered after another rumble told them that lightning had struck again. "Three kilometers."

"Since when are you bothered by the thunder?" Chuck asked.

"It's scary."

"If you're out on the ocean, or dallying around underneath a tree" he replied. "What's the thunder going to do to you indoors?"

"It can strike the house" Blair argued.

"Why would it do that? I've been with you in New York during thunderstorms, you've never been jittery."

"It's not scary in New York" Blair argued. "In the city there's always some higher building for lightning to hit. Out here…"

"Do you honestly believe we're going to be struck by lightning?"

"I don't believe it's _going_ to happen, but I think it's scary that it _could_."

As to accentuate her words another flash came, and the rumble followed only seconds after. Blair sat up again.

"Chuck that was almost right by us!"

"Why don't you let me take your mind off it?" Chuck asked, sitting up next to her, caressing her side and moving slowly over to her breast.

"What? No, I can't relax."

"I can _make_ you relax."

"I think I'm going to go downstairs, so I can have a better look" Blair said, throwing the comforter to the side. "See where the thunderclouds are."

"How is that going to make you feel calmer?"

"Knowledge is power. If I know where the clouds are and I can see which direction they are heading then-"

"The last bolt was around half a mile away. We know where the clouds are. Stop acting like a baby and just go back to sleep."

She shot him a look. Apparently those were not the correct words to use in this situation. With a huff she was out of bed, grabbing a robe from the floor. She left the room and with a sigh he realized he was already too awake to be able to go back to sleep within the next thirty minutes or so. He might as well follow her.

He got up and wondered where his robe had gone to. It was hot and humid and he realized he probably didn't need it, so he walked off to the downstairs livingroom in just his boxers. There he found Blair, sitting on the couch by the large windows facing the patio and the ocean. She was facing the windows, staring intently at the dark clouds.

"Want to go for a late night swim?" he teased.

"It's not funny."

He sat down next to her on the couch.

"I never pegged you for someone who's astraphobic."

"I'm not _scared_" she insisted. "I just don't _like_ it."

"You are scared" he said frankly.

"I'm not Bass."

"You are. And I think it's kind of endearing, although it would have been more so if it wasn't the middle of the night."

She gave him a look.

"Nice try Bass. You think I'm an idiot."

"Come on, everybody's afraid of something. Fear of thunder is at least something that makes good sense. If one of those suckers zaps you you'll be having a barbeque with Mozart and Michelangelo by the end of the day."

"How is this helping?" she asked.

Another bright flash came, followed by a deafening rumble.

"Every other bolt seems to strike ground" Blair complained.

"Or the water."

"I don't think it would make this much noise if it just hit the water."

He moved closer and wrapped an arm around her.

"Look, why don't we go back upstairs" he said. "I don't think sitting here staring out the window is the smartest thing to do if you're this nervous. We should go back to bed and find some way to take your mind off of it."

"I already told you Bass, I do not want to have sex."

"I am capable of other means of distraction."

"Oh yeah? Can't prove it by me."

"Come on" he said, getting up and extending his hand to her.

She didn't look at him. When another flash came, followed by a rumble a few seconds later, he saw her make a very unhappy face.

"Please" he said. "Come back upstairs with me and let's get into bed. Come on, let me hold you and feel like the big, manly man comforting his worried woman. It would be an act of love on your part."

With a sigh she got up and took his hand, continuing to look out the window for as long as she could while he lead her towards the stairs. When they got back to the bedroom she wanted to open the curtains to be able to look out the window but Chuck grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back to bed.

"For the last time, get into bed like a good little girl or I will have to pull up your nightie and spank your bottom."

"For the last time, I don't want sex."

He pulled back the covers and nodded for her to get under them. She got into bed and he climbed over her and settled in on his side. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, so that they were lying side by side, looking up at the ceiling, her head on his shoulder.

"Do you remember that time in fifth grade when I suddenly disappeared from school for a week?" Chuck asked.

"Yes" Blair said, wondering where that random comment had come from.

"Did I ever tell you where I went? Or why I left?"

"I know there was some massive speculation" Blair said. "Serena lost five dollars in a bet that you had moved to Morocco to become an oil sheik."

Chuck burst out laughing.

"She what? That was a stupid bet to make even for a blonde person. Even in fifth grade."

"So where did you go?" Blair asked, trying not to count the seconds as another flash lit up the room.

"I booked a plane ticket to Prague using my dad's credit card. I wanted to see how long I could be gone before he noticed anything."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So… I mean, you were gone for a week. Bart really didn't..?"

"I never got to find out how long it would take" Chuck said. "I forgot to take into consideration that while my father might not notice that I wasn't home, the au pair most certainly would. She freaked out completely. Rest assured Bart figured out where I had gone off to and arrived in Prague to get me, and it was the angriest I had ever seen him be up until that point."

He continued to talk and she listened, occasionally coming with a question or a comment. They had been growing closer every day since they became a couple, but his relationship with Bart was still something he had a hard time opening up about. She knew this moment was a rarity.

At first she kept flinching whenever a lightning bolt lit up the room but after a while her focus became completely on her boyfriend. She turned her head to cast a glance at him every once in a while and was completely focused on hearing what he was talking to her about.

Somehow the conversation then drifted off into childhood games they had used to play together with Nate, Serena and the other kids they hung out with when they were younger. From there the conversation went into several other directions and after a while Blair realized she hadn't jolted at a flash for quite some time.

"Is the thunder still rolling?" she asked.

"I think it moved past us about twenty minutes ago."

"I haven't even thought about it for a while now."

He smiled.

"Good. It was a bit scary seeing you that spooked. I want my girl to feel safe."

"I do with you" she smiled. "I can't believe you made me forget all about the weather."

"The power of love."

"Or of Chuck Bass."

"When it comes to you Blair, those two are the same."

She smiled and shifted so that she was lying on her stomach, resting her upper body on his. She gave him a kiss and then settled in to go to sleep.

"Good night…" she mumbled.

"Oh now you want to sleep?"

"Mm-hm…"

He ran a hand through her hair.

"Then sleep. Chuck Bass will keep you safe."

"Even in your sleep?" she mumbled.

"Even in my sleep."

"Even from thunder?"

"Especially from thunder."

"Love you…"

"Yeah whatever."

She giggled and then sighed contently, completely relaxed. He held her close and soon fell back asleep. His last thought before drifting off was that it was a luxury to be able to make her feel safe and forget her fears.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review =)


	12. Chapter 12

"You cannot be serious!" Blair exclaimed.

"I am" Chuck insisted.

"'_Jaws – the Revenge_' was a _terrible_ movie" Blair argued, looking disgusted at the mere thought of anyone believing otherwise.

"Are you kidding?"

"Are _you_?"

"'_Jaws – the Revenge_' was one of the best comedies of the eighties" Chuck argued. "Seriously, how can anyone argue with that? Rubber voodoo shark that stands on the surface of the water and roars like a lion? And then explodes when you poke it with a stick? How is that not one of the funniest things you've ever seen?"

Blair snorted. Chuck's taste in movies never ceased to amaze her, and not in a positive way. He seemed to love all kinds of crap while turning his nose at classics like "_Cleopatra_" and "_the Great Gatsby_".

They had gone to bed before eleven, but what had started out as a sweet spooning session had eventually turned into a hot sex session which had then led to a marathon pillow talk session. Only interrupted once when Blair went to the bathroom, and the by the quickie that followed when she got back into bed.

They had been talking movies for the past hour or so, and they hadn't agreed on much.

"Speaking of good comedies," Chuck said, "it's been ages since I last saw '_the Emperor's New Groove_'."

"Oh God…"

"I'm a major fan of Bucky the squirrel."

"Disney hasn't released a single good movie in the past decade" Blair argued. "Not animated anyway."

"What? You loved '_Enchanted_'."

"That one was live-action mostly. No, the best Disney movies are the oldies… '_Sleeping Beauty_' being the very best."

"Of course you would think so."

"What is wrong with '_Sleeping Beauty_'?"

"Nothing. Unless you're a heterosexual male."

She gave him a playful nudge and he chuckled.

"So which one's _your_ favorite?" she asked.

"Not sure…" he said. "I don't know, '_Peter Pan_' perhaps."

"I can see why. The boy who never has to grow up… and you probably pictured your father as Captain Hook."

"No, I was just thinking Tinker Bell is _hot_."

"Oh so you prefer the busty blondes now?"

He smirked and wrapped his arm around her waist. They shared a kiss before shifting their positions so that they were lying face to face as close as possible. Blair draped he leg over his hips and sighed contently.

Chuck felt his eyelids start to fall. It was probably getting late. They had talked about literature for quite a while after they first had sex, starting with Blair commenting that she was beginning to feel like Ayla with all the sex they were having. They had also considered different options for Blair to major in once she enrolled in college, discussed politics for well over an hour, and a few other minor topics had been covered as well.

He lifted his arm and glanced at his wristwatch. Then he moaned.

"What?" Blair asked. "Don't moan unless I make you moan. What's wrong?"

"It's almost four in the morning" Chuck said.

"Mmm… Better try and get some sleep then."

He nodded. They needed to start trying to go to sleep at reasonable hours and wake up at decent hours, or else they would have a very hard time once summer was over and with it their days of leisure. Not that they weren't trying. Tonight they had gone to bed early with the firm intention of just sleeping. But as usual they hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other, or keep from talking to one another.

"You're too much fun to be around…" he mumbled as he closed his eyes. "Sleep seems like a waste of time."

"Enjoy the honeymoon period while it lasts" Blair mumbled back.

"Chances are it will last forever. After a month and a half I can't get enough of you, and I never grow tired of talking to you."

She giggled.

"A whole month and a half… When we're in our forties I'm going to remind you that you once thought a month and a half was a whole eternity."

"A very _intense_ month and a half. I've had more sex with you in these past six weeks than I had in the six _months_ prior to us getting together. And we've been talking so much it seems we should have run out of topics weeks ago."

"It's the honeymoon period" she said again. "It's all about the bonding, physical and otherwise."

"You're telling me this has an expiration date?"

"Not this as in you and I" she said. "But at some point we're going to start doing things that don't involve each other. Start living more normally."

"That's sad" he frowned. "I'm not prepared to lose any of the excitement."

"Then let's not. We're Blair and Chuck. We'll be able to think of ways to keep things interesting and exciting. Just… let's do it tomorrow."

"Agreed" he chuckled. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight sweetie."

They shared a goodnight kiss and Blair seemed to drift off rather quickly after that. Chuck stayed awake for a little while longer, thinking back on the six weeks they had been together. During the first two weeks there had been few nights when they had gone to sleep before six in the morning. It had seemed like they never ran out of things to say to each other, often lying awake talking until the sun came up. Topics varied from the very serious to the very trivial, and they had joked a lot. He had probably laughed more during those two weeks than he had in the past few years. He had never expected that to last for long, those marathon talks during the night. How many topics could two people cover before running out of things to say to each other?

Apparently a great many. While they didn't stay up until sunrise as often now they still spent most nights talking. Some topics had been discussed numerous times but they never seemed to have any trouble finding new things to talk about. He was beginning to understand what people meant when they said your significant other was your best friend. He couldn't think of a single thing he didn't feel like he could tell Blair about, even if there were a lot of things he didn't feel comfortable discussing quite yet. But the difficulties were all with him actually addressing the sore parts of his past and the darker parts of his soul; none of it was about him worrying how she would react to hearing them. He felt safe with her, knowing she wouldn't judge him or make fun of him.

All in all this relationship, like any good relationship he presumed, felt like the combined luxury of a great friendship and an amazing sex life, bound together by a feeling that was stronger than anything he'd ever thought existed. He knew she was right, sooner or later this phase of their relationship would end and they would settle into something more closely resembling an ordinary everyday life. It would have to, or they would never be able to have jobs or study or do anything besides enjoying each other. Lying awake talking all through the night wouldn't happen several times a week, and neither would things like devoting an entire day to having sex on as many different pieces of furniture as possible. But he hoped that those things would always be part of their relationship, even if it only happened once every couple of months.

They should talk about it in the morning. While they discussed ways to keep their relationship fun and fresh even after the honeymoon phase. As she had said, they were Blair and Chuck. There was no way they would ever get mundane or boring. They were too great together for that to ever happen.

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Thanks for reading. And as always, thanks to those who review =)


	13. Chapter 13

Just a short update ('cause that's all I have time for lol)

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The tea lights on the nightstand had almost burned out. Blair enjoyed the last minutes of flickering candle light as her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. She was tired, but not sleepy. At least not just yet.

She was on her side in the bed and was glad she had thought to pull the comforter up to cover her shoulders. She had been sweating, but now she was getting colder. Chuck's body was pressed up against hers, sticking to her, even sweatier than she was. He was a lot more exhausted than her and she could tell from his even breathing that he had fallen asleep. His face was buried at the nape of her neck, each breath hot on her bare shoulder, and his hand still had a firm grip of her upper arm even though he was no longer awake.

She felt oddly at peace. She had wished he would have stayed awake for longer; she always loved the post-game conversations and right now it would have felt good to talk. But she didn't blame him for being tired. He would have tried to stay awake if she had asked him to but she didn't have the heart to force him to keep his eyes open right now.

He had convinced her to try something in bed which she had never thought she would do. He had first brought it up a couple of weeks back and she had said no, but tonight she had decided that it was at least worth trying.

It hadn't been the best experience of her life, but it hadn't been unpleasant either. Chuck had enjoyed it immensely but for her the payoff had been something else entirely. She had enjoyed feeling safe enough with him to try something she would have never thought she'd try.

Now that it was over she couldn't help but marvel at just how safe she felt with him. With Chuck Bass, of all people. What had happened during the night had really been a trust exercise and she felt closer to him now than before. Feeling this secure with a man was a luxury she had never enjoyed before.

She felt him starting to drool on her shoulder and couldn't help but chuckle. She gave him a light nudge.

"Hey… You're drooling on me. Body fluid sharing time is over for tonight."

He mumbled something incoherent and his hand slipped from her arm to wrap around her and pull her closer. She smiled.

"I love you, you crazy boy" she said.

"Mmm…" he mumbled, probably more asleep than awake.

Blair closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep as well.

* * *

Exactly what they've been up to is up to whoever reads it to interpret… It's left unspecified for a reason =)

Have a nice day, thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

Hello again! Another update for this story. Thanks goes out to my reviewers, as always =)

* * *

"Chuck can you hold my purse?"

With six words and one question mark Blair managed to make Chuck feel whipped.

Then again maybe he _was_ whipped. They were out shopping together, for no other reason than that Blair wanted to go shopping and Chuck wanted to be where she was. That alone was enough to de-masculine him, but being asked to hold his girlfriend's purse while she tried on a pair of brown Louboutins looking pretty much exactly like two other pairs she already owned was too much by Chuck Bass' standards. He felt about two sad steps away from sitting in front of a plate of spaghetti, pushing the last meatball over to her with his nose.

But before he could protest she had shoved her purse in his hands and taken a seat to try the shoes on. He rolled his eyes and wondered when they would be done with the shoe shopping part of the program and move on to more exciting departments.

"What do you think?" she asked, lifting up her foot to showcase the shoe.

"Maybe you should try walking around in them" he suggested, knowing it was futile.

"I don't have to walk around in them to know they're probably incredibly uncomfortable" Blair said. "Tell me, what do you think?"

"I don't like them."

"What? Why not?"

"They're too pedestrian. Blair Waldorf does not walk around in shoes one might easily find on the feet of a common working class woman."

"A common working class woman could not afford these shoes" Blair snorted.

"Tell that to Carrie Bradshaw."

She cast him an annoyed look but took off the shoe.

"So what do you suggest then?" she asked. "I need a new pair of shoes to go with the pencil skirt I bought when I was out shopping with my minions a couple of weeks ago. Normally I would have gotten a pair of shoes to go with during the same shopping trip but thanks to _someone_ distracting me I didn't get to it."

"Distracting you? I wasn't even there."

"That was the distracting part."

He smirked.

"Are you sure there's nothing already in your shoe closet that will go with the skirt?" he then asked.

"Maybe there is" Blair shrugged. "But I could use another pair of shoes."

"I'm bored" Chuck declared. "Why don't you enlist a store clerk to aid you in your noble quest for the perfect footwear while I run over to Cartier to see if I can find some new cufflinks?"

"Meet you in the women's department in thirty minutes?"

"Somehow I doubt you'll be done here in thirty minutes, but okay."

He handed her the purse and kissed her on the cheek before making a break for it.

* * *

Thirty minutes later he arrived at the women's department and asked Blair's favorite store clerk if she was there. She was of course not. Chuck cast a glance at his wristwatch and wondered how long he would have to wait for her to be done with her shoe shopping.

While he waited he mindlessly strolled through the store. His eyes fell on a purple dress. He smirked. Blair would look fantastic in that.

Suddenly he got an idea. If he helped Blair along with the shopping then it might save them some time.

He waved to Sandy, Blair's favorite clerk, and asked her to bring over a rack. He then made his way through the store, picking out anything he wanted to see his girlfriend try on. While he wasn't that fond of shopping normally he remembered the week they had been dating after junior year, and how much fun he had had buying Blair a dress to wear when they went to Europe. He was quite enjoying himself now too, especially since this time she was there with him and could try everything on while he looked on.

He had been there for over forty minutes by the time Blair found him.

"Sorry I'm a bit late" she chirped. "Did you miss me?"

"What do you think?" he said, answering her question with a question while gesturing to a satin dress. "Blue or orange?"

"Blue is more your color" she replied. "But I hate to break it to you my darling, but you won't fit into that thing. Also, it won't be flattering to your cleavage."

"I guess you'll have to try it on instead then" he said and grabbed the dress in both blue and orange.

"What is all this?" she asked, eyeing the rack which by now had at least fifteen pieces on it.

"What does it look like? I'm helping you shop."

"Bass" she said. "I think we both know I need no help shopping. But the thought is endearing, I'll admit."

"Good, now go find Sandy and get yourself a private fitting room" he said, moving on to the dress next to the one he had just picked out.

She eyed him for a second, a bit surprised that his focus was so much on shopping and so little on her.

"Go" he said.

"Alright…" she said slowly, giving him a look as she walked off to find the clerk.

Ten minutes later Sandy came and took the rack, leading Chuck to the private fitting room Blair was waiting in. On her way out Sandy gave Chuck a look.

"I know who you are. _Behave_ yourself."

Chuck gave Blair a slightly stunned look as the clerk walked off. Blair couldn't help but laugh but then a thought occurred to her and her face grew serious.

"What did she mean by that?"

"She doesn't want me to have sex with you in here" he explained, as if she were a young child or a moron.

"No not that part… The part about how she _knows_ you and _knows_ about your… lewd tendencies."

"Anybody in Manhattan with the ability to read and an Internet connection is likely to know that" Chuck pointed out. "I hate to break your heart and crush your illusions, but I was not a virgin when you and I began to date."

"For a moment there I thought you would end that sentence with: '_When you and I met_' and that would have made me really worried."

"Just go do what you do best and take off your clothes" Chuck said, taking a seat. "Then do something else you're good at, and try these things on."

She shot him a look and tried to think of a suitable reply. When she couldn't think of anything she grabbed a dress off the rack and walked into the dressing room, pulling the curtain close behind her.

"No need to be modest" he said. "You can change in front of me."

"Don't think for a moment that you can misbehave and then get the pleasure of watching me undress."

"Misbehave? What did I do?"

"Apparently, several women in changing rooms."

He rolled his eyes.

"I haven't actually slept with anyone in a dressing room" he said. "Yet. But if you're willing that can change."

"The only thing I'm willing to do right now is let you pay for anything I decide to get" she said, pulling the curtain back so he could see her in the dress.

"No, not that one" he said.

"What? What's wrong with it?" Blair asked, turning to look at herself in the dress in the mirror from as many angles as possible.

"You look cute in it, but the color is too boring. And I'm not feeling the spaghetti straps."

"You picked it out."

"And now I'm rejecting it. I don't like it on."

"You're saying I don't look good?"

"I'm saying you don't look astounding, and we won't settle for anything less."

"Shopping with Dorota is a lot more fun" Blair pouted and drew the curtain close. "Fine, hand me the next dress."

He stood up and examined the clothes on the rack. He picked one out and handed it to her when she reached out her hand.

"This is kind of fun" he said. "Like having a real life paper doll. Beats the paper variety."

Blair's head popped out from behind the curtain, eyebrows raised.

"You played with paper dolls as a kid?"

He just laughed and took a seat. She got into the dress and then pulled the curtain aside, turning her back to him.

"Help zip me up."

He obeyed and then turned her around before taking a step back to get a good look at her in the black, sleek dress.

"It looks good" he said. "Needs a jacket though."

"I can't decide if it's fun to have a boyfriend who's got a good eye on fashion, or if it makes me worry that you too will run off with Roman to France."

"Oh not to worry" Chuck said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "I know what looks good on you Waldorf… And I know what looks good on me… And I know that what looks best on us is each other."

"God that was trite" Blair said.

"I was going for cutesy romantic."

"_That_ does not look good on you."

He laughed and kissed her hair before loosening his grip on her so that she could change out of the dress.

"So are we getting the dress?" he asked.

"Since you seem to have such a favorable reaction to it…"

She smiled at him and grabbed a skirt and a blouse from the rack before getting back into the changing room.

* * *

"So did you have a horrible day today?" she apologetically asked later, holding him by the arm as they walked out of the store with several shopping bags in their hands.

"Actually no" Chuck said. "Shopping can be fun… Pampering you is definitely enjoyable… Showering you with luxury is satisfying."

"You didn't buy me anything _that_ expensive."

"You forget I also stopped by Cartier."

"I take back my previous statement" Blair smiled. "Shopping with you is a lot more fun than shopping with Dorota."

"I feel honored. Just leave me at home when you want to go shoe shopping and we won't have any problems in the future."

"But the shoe shopping is the best part" Blair claimed.

"Seeing you in a parade of beautiful and/or sexy outfits is the best part. Shoe shopping is what God invented to punish all men for having burned innocent women at the stake a few centuries ago."

"You mean like he invented football to punish women for… Wait, what do we have to be punished for?"

"According to the horny monks back during the witch burning times, a lot."

"Well it's really too bad that you enjoyed yourself today. I was going to offer to make it up to you."

"Actually we're on our way to make arrangements for that as we speak" Chuck said. "I'm taking you to _my_ favorite store. They sell the kind of clothes you don't want your mother to see you wearing."

"Shocking."

"We're going there to pick up some stuff I've had my eye on, and then when we get back home you're going to fulfill a certain '_Alice in Wonderland_' fantasy of mine."

"'_Alice in Wonderland_'?" Blair echoed with disapproval.

"Indeed. I pamper you with your favorite form of luxury, then you pamper me with mine."

"Who will you be in that role-play? The Mad Hatter? Or the Cheshire Cat? If it's the White Rabbit then I'm not playing!"

He just grinned for an answer. She rolled her eyes but followed him to the store. She had a feeling that shopping there could be very interesting, for the both of them.

* * *

Thanks for reading =) Have a great day!


	15. Chapter 15

I had a fit of creativity and finished two more installments for this little story… The second one will be up in a few days =)

It's kind of funny that those of you who commented on Blair's role in the role-play saw her as the Queen of Hearts. I had Chuck reference to her as such in another story I'm working on which I'll probably never end up finishing… As for Chuck, I hadn't thought anything out myself, but my vote goes to **acv315**'s suggestion, the Caterpillar.

And as always, thanks for the reviews =) You guys rock!

* * *

"You have a tiny one right here."

"'_Tiny_' is not a word we use in bed."

Blair ignored his comment. She placed her fingertip on the small scar on his knee and looked up at him.

"Let's hear it Bass."

"Honestly I have no idea. Fell off my skateboard as a kid probably."

She accepted the answer and lifted up his shin to examine it closely. She was working her way through his body, finding every scar and demanding to hear the story behind it. This new exercise had come about when they were in the shower and she had noticed a tiny scar on his upper arm which she had never noticed before. He had told her it was from a scratch a cat had given him when he was three, visiting his grandmother.

Blair had been irked to realize she had never known his grandmother had a cat, or even thought for a second about the fact that he even _had_ a grandmother. Both Bart and Jack seemed more likely to have been _spawned_ or _hatched_ rather than old fashioned birthed by some poor woman. Chuck had reminded her that his grandmother had died from colon cancer when he was eight.

Once they were out of the shower Blair had laid him down on the bed and started to meticulously go over his body to find every single scar on it, determined to know all there was to know about him and to be reminded of things she had known previously but now forgotten. Chuck was more than happy to let her go over his body inch by inch, though at present she was being a bit too serious about the whole thing. Especially considering the fact that they were both buck naked.

"This is another small one" she said, gently tracing the outline of a scar on his leg with her finger.

"Okay, you're going to laugh…"

"Tell me."

"I cut myself shaving."

"Shaving? Your _leg_?"

"Told you you'd laugh."

"What were you doing shaving your leg?"

"Summer after eighth grade I went through this whole metrosexual phase…" he said with a slightly embarrassed grin. "And so I thought shaving my legs would go with that. I cut myself and decided never to try that again."

"Glad to hear you didn't run around in Europe a whole summer with shaved legs" Blair said, obviously disapproving of the idea of Chuck with no leg hair.

"Actually… I only said I didn't _shave_ my legs again that summer. I had them waxed once, in Italy."

"God almighty…"

"Told you you'd laugh."

A thought occurred to her and she moved higher up on the bed.

"This metro phase of yours, did it include waxing your chest?"

"Are you kidding? The legs were painful enough. No way I was going to let someone wax my _chest_. Besides, at that age I didn't have all that much to wax."

"Good" Blair said. "Because for future reference…" She tugged the curls on his chest. "These belong to me and I love them. If you lose the chest hair I will go Brazilian, which I know you hate."

"Fair enough" Chuck smirked.

She moved back down and grabbed his shin again, but not in a way that was sexual or even playful. She was all business today.

"The rest of this leg seems free of scarring…" she noted, running a finger from his knee to his ankle. "Except for the one down by your ankle, but I was there when you got that back in freshman year so I already know the story."

"I'm a bit disappointed" he said, putting his hands behind his head. "The idea of you playing doctor is extremely sexy, but right now you're coming off far too much like my _actual_ doctor. She is fifty-seven and might have been attractive back when she used to date Paul Revere but today looks like a mummy someone left out in the sun for too long."

"You lost me."

"I'm saying stop being so serious."

"This isn't foreplay, Bass" she said. "I want to know everything there is to know about you and that includes hearing the story behind every last scar on your body."

"How am I supposed to remember when and where and how I got every last scar on my body?" Chuck asked. "Can't I just get my doctor to e-mail you my chart instead? That will give you all the medical information you need."

"It's not the medical aspect that interests me, it's the story behind the scar" Blair argued. "I want to know you through and through."

"I want to know all about you too. Just not via this method."

"Stop complaining and just comply."

"Sir yes sir" he said and mock saluted her.

She shot him a look.

"If this attitude persists then this is all the touching you're going to get this weekend."

"Fine, I'll be a good boy" Chuck said, and gazed up at the ceiling. "While you're down there, do you mind scratching the mosquito bite on my shin?"

"Yes."

"I'm not so sure I like this game."

She didn't answer, and he wasn't sure if he should be worried or pleased when she moved her examination up to his pelvic area. If she treated that part as crudely as she had his legs then this could get downright unpleasant. But to his surprise she skipped that area altogether and instead ran her finger lightly across his stomach from right above the top of his left hipbone to the top of his right, tickling him in the process.

"You missed a vital part of anatomy" he said, glancing down at her.

"I already know that part through and through" she said with no hint of playfulness. "Any scars you have there, I've already seen."

"Do you mind not grazing so lightly with your finger? It tickles."

"You know, perhaps we _should_ get your chest shaved" she said. "How the hell am I supposed to be able to see anything through this veritable sweater you've got on your front?"

"Hey, you were the one who said getting rid of the chest hair was out of the question" Chuck said, getting nervous.

"I didn't realize it would make this so difficult" she said. "It would be a one-time thing. It grows back."

"Come anywhere near me with a razor and things will get ugly, Waldorf."

She frowned, obviously annoyed, but he was adamant. He had no desire to have his chest shaven or waxed, especially not for something he cared as little about as this.

Blair gave up on his chest for the time being and moved on to his right arm. She took his hand and lifted the arm up, sitting herself down next to him. Her fingers ran across his palm and then the back of his hand.

"I count three small scars."

"None of which I remember the origins of."

"You're not trying hard enough to remember."

"Blair" he sighed. "Enough of this. I don't know where or when or how I got most of my scars and even if I did the stories behind most of them are pretty damn boring. It's Friday, let's do something fun."

"We will" Blair assured him. "Once I'm done."

"_I_'_m_ done" Chuck said, sitting himself up.

"Hey!" Blair protested, and grabbed a firm hold of his wrist as he tried to get up. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To my closet to put some clothes on. Spending this much time naked without having sex is just a waste of nudity."

"Why does everything always have to be about sex?" Blair said. "I'm trying to get to know _you_ better. We're about more than sex, aren't we?"

"Not when we're naked" Chuck argued, getting out of her grip and hopping off the bed. "Look I'm all for getting to know each other better, but this method just grates. Besides, don't we know each other pretty well already?"

"I didn't know about your metro phase."

"And your life was probably better before you knew about it. Can't we just find this stuff out in a more natural way?"

"Well excuse me for caring" Blair said, getting off the bed as well.

She opened her underwear drawer and pulled out the first pair of panties she could find. She dressed herself in sullen silence while Chuck did the same.

While he was buttoning his shirt he looked over at her. She was sitting on the bed, putting on an anklet that matched the new pair of Jimmy Choo sandals she had bought the day before. This had to be the weirdest thing they had ever been annoyed at each other about. True, her examination had been tedious rather than sexy, but it was kind of luxurious to have someone like her care that much about his past.

"Fine" he said. "You can finish your examination. Just not today, some other time, when it seems more fitting."

"When did you have in mind? Your death bed?"

"I'm starving. Let's go out and have lunch. We can discuss the details of the new game we talked about a while back."

"You're going to have to refresh my memory" Blair said, walking over to the door to grab her shoes. "We've got a couple of games by now."

"The one that involves you humiliating pretty women" Chuck smirked.

"Oh that one" Blair said casually.

"We should set some rules…"

"It sounds weird talking about rules for sex play so early in a relationship" Blair said, leaning against the wall to put her shoe on. "Then again I don't know what I was expecting from a guy who told me to pick a sexual safety word fifteen hours in to the relationship."

"Just looking out for you, my sweet."

She looked up at him with a crooked smile. They hadn't been in many situations that would require a safety word so far. All through June and July they had been too busy exploring each other to feel a need for more extreme bedroom games. But now they were both getting a bit nervous that things would start to get dull between them in the bedroom. She had a feeling that Chuck was seriously worried since she had now spent more time touching his naked body than she ever had before without sex being involved.

"Let's go" she said, finally getting the other shoe on. "We can talk about it over salads. I'm in the mood for prosciutto."

"Sounds good."

He decided to leave his suit jacket, since it was so hot out, and followed her through the door. She seemed to be in a good mood again and he was too. It would be nice to go out and get something to eat, and discuss the details of their upcoming escapades.

True to his word he did let her finish her examination, the following day as they took a hot bath together after having successfully played their new game for the first time.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Have a nice day!


	16. Chapter 16

As promised, here's the second installment I had finished for this chapter!

* * *

Blair growled into her pillow and wished she had spent the night at her mother's place instead of at Chuck's. At least then she would have gotten to sleep in and not be woken up at eight by her boyfriend who had suddenly decided that the first Monday of August meant that summer free time was over and the time had come to find a business venue.

He had been talking about it for over a week now, but she hadn't thought he'd actually gotten anywhere with his plans. Then yesterday when they had met up after she'd gone to a movie with Dorota he had told her he'd scheduled a meeting with one of his financial guides. Blair had no objection to that, except that her moron of a boyfriend had scheduled the meeting at nine o'clock in the morning. She had thought about going to her mother's to spend the night but by then it had been late and she had figured she might as well stay with Chuck. A decision she now regretted.

He had tried to stir her from sleep when his alarm clock had gone off fifteen minutes earlier, but she had refused to be stirred. He had offered shower sex and she had offered to take that suggestion and shove it somewhere where neither sun nor moon shone. After a few minutes he had given up and gotten out of bed alone.

And sure, she could understand that he was a bit disappointed that she hadn't gotten up with him, choosing to continue sleeping instead of having sex.

But did he really have to punish her by singing "_McArthur Park_" at the top of his lungs while he showered? How the hell was she supposed to continue sleeping with this filling her ears? Since when did Chuck Bass sing in the shower anyway? Or sing at all for that matter? She distinctly remembered him sending a Broadway performer to take his place when Serena had held her birthday party at a karaoke club.

As he did his best mock opera voice on a very heartfelt "_oh noooooooooooo_" she reached out her hand, grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her head in an attempt to drown out the noise. If she didn't fall back asleep soon she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep at all. And then he would have won.

He was probably hoping she would be wide awake by the time he got out from there, which she had suspected even before he got in the shower. He had ordered up breakfast, and either he was going for a very sturdy meal before his meeting or he intended on sharing it with her.

In his dreams.

He reached the end of the song and she sighed with relief, sending a silent prayer to God above that he wouldn't follow it up with an early morning rendition of Four Non Blonde's "_What's Up_?". He didn't. Instead she heard him gargle water for a moment before beginning his previous song all over again.

Finally he turned the shower off, and with it his singing. Obviously on a mission to annoy her as much as possible he began to whistle "_Whistle Stop_" from "_Robin Hood_" while he dried off, but at least that was somewhat drowned out by the pillow.

When she heard the bathroom door open she lifted up the pillow from her head and looked up at him.

"Chuck" she said. "Do something for me sweetie."

"Sure."

"Get laryngitis."

He climbed up on top of her on the bed and shook his head forcefully, sending water from his not yet dried hair all over her. She shrieked loudly and covered herself with the pillow again, trying to kick him even though she was on her stomach and he easily bounced away.

"Breakfast is here" he announced, grabbing his robe to open the door for room-service.

She pretended not to hear him. Through the pillow she could hear the muffled sounds of breakfast being set up at the table, but he wasn't nagging at her to get up and join him. Hopefully he had taken the hint by now.

Then she felt the bed dip. Alarmed she lifted the pillow again and glared over at his side of the bed. He was sitting with a bagel, taking a big bite that sent crumbs everywhere. In his other hand he held an orange, and she felt herself getting furious just thinking about how icky it would be to have the juice from the orange all over the bed sheets.

"Chuck…" she said. "Remember that time I told you I would love you no matter what?"

"Mm-hm" he mumbled while chewing.

"Stop trying to test that theory. Why are you annoying me so much?"

"Doesn't seem fair that I have to get up early and my girlfriend continues to sleep" he said, crumbs flying everywhere as he spoke. "I distinctly remember you saying that in a relationship you share each other's hardships. Having slept in every night for like two months it is a hardship getting up at this hour and you're not sharing it with me."

"Too bad" Blair said. "Get out of bed with that food before I get really pissed off. You know I _detest_ eating in bed. Crumbs and crap everywhere."

"My bed, my rules."

"Oh so we don't _share_ the bed?"

"Nope."

Determined not to let him annoy her enough to get her to get up she turned her back to him and demonstratively pulled her sleeping mask down to cover her eyes. She practically fumed when the smell of orange filled her nose and she knew he was eating it right there next to her. Furiously she realized he had won either way. There was no way she would be able to fall back asleep now, she was too annoyed.

Perhaps Chuck had realized that, since he seemed to have given up on his attempts to be irritating. She felt the bed dip as he got up again and heard him move around the room and get dressed. After a while the scent of his aftershave became heavier and she figured he was leaning down to kiss her.

"No" she said, raising a hand to keep him at bay. "No kissing privileges."

"Wish me luck at the meeting" he said with a sigh, and the scent of aftershave became less prominent.

"What do you need luck for? You're not making any actual deals today, just discussing your financial situation."

"Where would I be without the support of my loving girlfriend?" he said dryly. "Sleep tight, Grumpy."

When he had left she actually managed to fall asleep. She woke up about an hour later and automatically turned and reached out her hand to see if he was still in bed. All she found were a bunch of crumbs. She sat up and took off her mask, casting an annoyed glance at his side of the bed.

"Until you get housekeeping to change these sheets I'm not spending the night here Bass" she said out loud and threw the comforter aside.

She took a long, hot shower, much to her annoyance with "_McArthur Park_" stuck in her head. When she was finally done with her morning bathroom rituals she walked into the kitchen area to have breakfast. Whatever was left from Chuck's breakfast was now either thrown in the trash or placed in the small refrigerator. She walked over to it and got herself a large cup of yogurt, sitting down with a frown, still in a bad mood.

She shoved a large spoon full of yogurt in her mouth. This sucked. She missed him. She had gotten accustomed to the luxury of having breakfast with him. At this point they had actually spent a few nights apart, and those mornings breakfast had seemed so boring. Today was not an exception. Damn him and his addictiveness.

She finished her breakfast quickly and then walked back into the bathroom and put everything she had used earlier back in its place. She heard the door open just as she put her blow-dryer into the cabinet and with a huff she strode back out into the other room.

"Oh you're up" he said.

"You are a jerk" she said, walking right past him on her way to the door.

"You're not going to ask me how my meeting went?" he said, slightly puzzled by her not too friendly greeting.

"No."

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes" she said. "Out to go buy pads and pencils and everything else I will need once college starts, and then I'm having lunch with Dorota."

"Okay…" he said. "Meet you back here later?"

"No."

"Really?"

"I'll be going back to my mother's, and I won't be back here tonight. You can sleep in that crumb-filled, orange-soiled bed by yourself, and you won't have to worry about waking anybody up tomorrow morning, you can sing in the shower to your heart's content."

"Or I can stop by Eleanor's tonight, sleep in your non crumb-filled, orange-soiled bed and we can sing a duet in the shower tomorrow morning."

"Or not" Blair said, walking out and closing the door firmly behind her.

She strode towards the elevator, searching through her bag for her phone so she could call Dorota. If Chuck thought he was welcome at her mother's place tonight then he could think again. Clearly they needed to spend some time apart, so he would learn that annoying your girlfriend in the morning put a real damp on things. And, because it was stupid that she missed him when she had breakfast alone. She had to learn to eat friggin breakfast without sulking over not being with her boyfriend. She wasn't some stupid doormat.

After talking to Dorota and walking through the Palace lobby she sent Chuck a text.

"_Learn your lesson. Don't annoy me in the morning. Have fun missing me._"

Before putting her phone away she thought about the text she had just sent, and sent him one more.

"_Also, warm up your vocal chords before singing in the shower. Seriously! And, I love you._"

After a few minutes he texted her back.

"_My vocal chords are perfect at all times. Hope U change Ur mind about 2nite. 2morrows scheduled song is '_You're the 1 that I want_' and it works better as a duet._"

She smirked and walked out of the hotel. Maybe she would change her mind about tonight. Time would tell.

* * *

I'm not entirely sure Chuck would be the type to sing in the shower (especially not just to annoy Blair), but Rule of Comedy wins lol. Thanks for reading, have a nice day!


	17. Chapter 17

We're getting closer to the end of summer and the start of season three. Some of the chapters once we reach that part of the timeline will probably be missing-scene bits. Until then, here's another summer chapter!

* * *

Blair and Chuck left the store and walked back out on the crowded street. It was a hot August day, more suited for staying indoors with air-conditioning or sitting at an outside table at a bar or restaurant with an icy drink than for shopping, but Blair had a lot of errands to run before school started in a few weeks.

In her left hand was a bag from the store they had just left. She had selected a couple of pictures and had them printed as real old-fashioned pictures and framed. They were meant for her dorm room.

"Now all I need is to send Dorota out to get some curtains and a suitably colored comforter and then I'm all set" she said. "I'm thinking… dove blue."

"I'm thinking insanity" Chuck said. "Blair Waldorf at the dorms? At _NYU_? Whatever happened to some class and decent living?"

"I know, it's all so blue-collar" Blair sighed, but kept her smile and took his arm. "It's the kind of sacrifice I will have to make to be queen of a school like that."

"Yeah, speaking of which…"

"I know you think I should stop talking about being queen at NYU" Blair said before he could start. "You're not seeing the big picture. How can I survive at a school populated by middleclass progeny and, quotation mark, artists, if I don't make it clear that they are all beneath me? I need to be queen and I _will_ be queen."

"It may prove to be a lost cause" Chuck argued. "The people there are probably all about the blue-collar revolution. The nobility goes to ivy-league."

"Wow, words of love" Blair snarled. "Wait, which school am I attending again?"

"I consider you the exception to prove the rule."

She scoffed, but then smiled. The sun was shining, she had just spent a couple of thousand dollars at Vera Wang and Chuck had gotten them reservations at a newly opened five-star restaurant for tomorrow evening. Life was pretty good. Why waste a wonderful day arguing with your boyfriend over whether or not being queen of NYU was a worthwhile endeavor?

"All discussions of queendom aside" Chuck said. "I still don't get why you would relocate to the dorms when you have a perfectly good hotel room you can crash in? A room which happens to have your boyfriend in it."

"The commute is going to be quite a bitch."

"So?"

"So, I need my beauty sleep." She paused. "Here is where you say that I don't need it, I'm always stunningly gorgeous."

"You're always stunningly gorgeous" Chuck agreed. "Do you by any chance happen to know how many nights we have spent apart as boyfriend and girlfriend? I do. Seven, actually. Five in July and two so far in August."

"Point being?"

"Point being, if you're _living_ in the dorms that's going to mean a lot more nights apart. Don't think I'm going to come and crash with you and some boho roommate who smokes herbal cigarettes and shaves her head."

"Are you trying to scare me? You know I hate that sort of thing."

"Just think about it" he said. "Waking up in the morning and getting out of bed without the soft start of cuddling? Showering all by yourself? Breakfast alone, or with the bald roommate? Going to bed with the comforter all to yourself? Okay that last one can be nice. But no sexy boyfriend to exhaust you into sweet oblivion if you're having trouble sleeping."

"Seriously Chuck. Abandonment issues. Work on them."

"Fine. Just don't come crying to me when Large Marge with the shaved head sprinkles your bed with herbs and flowers."

Instead of replying she changed the subject into sunnier topics. They went back to Blair's mother's penthouse and Blair put her bags on the bed with a triumphant smile.

"I love a good day of shopping" she twittered.

She opened the bag from the photo store and lifted out the three pictures she had gotten. Dorota would pack them into one of her suitcases later but she wanted to take a quick look at them first. After she had done that she put them on the bed and moved on to her other shopping bags.

Chuck walked up and affectionately placed a hand on her back. Then he noticed the photos and got curious. He picked up the first one and studied it.

"Nice picture" he said. "Why do I remember that dress?"

"That's Mom's wedding to Cyrus."

"I don't remember attending that" Chuck frowned. "Was I drunk?"

"Yes" Blair said. "A little. You were also sitting here on my bed. They got married the day after Bart's funeral."

Chuck nodded slowly, uncomfortable with the subject. Blair knew, and didn't say anything else. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked over to her closet to start hanging up her latest finds.

Chuck studied the picture for a little longer and then put it aside. He picked up the next picture and looked at it while Blair began to walk back and forth between the bags on her bed and her closet. He put the second picture down and picked up the third. She heard him give a small laugh and turned.

"I'm touched" he smirked and held up the framed picture for her to see.

She smiled and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him from behind and peeking around his shoulder to look at the photo too. It was a picture of Chuck, taken at some point during high school.

"It's one of my favorite pictures of you" she said. "I found it that day when you were massively hung over and I decided I needed to have it at my dorm."

"Found it? What, you have pictures of me just lying around?"

"I did. Last year. Once I had admitted to us both that I love you I didn't see any point in denying to myself that I like looking at you. Or pictures of you."

"I don't even know when this was taken" Chuck said.

"Who cares? You look so good in it. Plus you've got your scarf on. I miss that scarf. What happened to it?"

"Dry-cleaner ruined it."

"And lived to tell the tale?"

"Oh she lived… But she's now serving hamburgers somewhere upstate."

"It's a shame though" Blair said. "We don't have any pictures of the two of us together. At least none that have been taken since we've been dating."

"Just agree to videotaping us making love and we can get you a still from that" Chuck suggested with a Cheshire grin.

"Oh, we could put it up here, for Mommy to see" Blair said with fake excitement.

"Just saying, if you want a picture of us together why not make it a great one? And we're never better than when we're between the sheets. That was figuratively meant, of course. I seem to recall that up against one of the pillars downstairs was a screaming-"

"I've said no" Blair cut him off. "Get over it." The picked up the last skirt from her bag and brought it to the closet. "Mom is hosting a dinner for some prospective buyers tonight and wants me to be present, probably to lie herself blue in the face about how I'm her muse or whatever. Care to join?"

"Sounds boring" Chuck said and put his picture down.

"Okay" Blair said, a bit disappointed.

Chuck picked up the empty bags and put them on her dresser instead of on her bed. While she was having dinner he could work on his latest business idea. He hadn't had a chance yet to put his ideas down on paper and see what could become of it.

"I'll stop by sometime after dinner" he said. "Whisk you up to your room and away from the boring prospective buyers."

"Agreeable terms" Blair nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But we're talking dinner, and it's only a couple of hours past lunch…"

She pulled him close and kissed him hungrily. He let her kiss him but then tried to remain reasonable.

"Eleanor is right down the hall, isn't she?"

"So?" Blair purred. "We could still make out."

He grinned at her and backed up to her bed, bringing her along with him. They fell down on her bed and started kissing. Blair then sat up, grabbed the remote to her stereo from the table at the foot of the bed, and put music on. Then she leaned back down and continued making out with him.

"Just like old times, isn't it?" she grinned between kisses.

"I love a good trip down memory lane" Chuck replied in a mumble before her lips were back on his.

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The picture of Chuck with his scarf can be seen in Blair's dorm room in a few episodes. She also has at least two other pictures, one of which seems to be from Eleanor's wedding but I couldn't really tell (I need HD!). The third one I gave up on without even trying. Anyway, if you haven't spotted these in her dorm room yet, go looking for them. It's a cute detail, and it's a good excuse to re-watch some happy-Chair season three episodes ;)

Let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

Update spree! Since it might be a while before I can update anything at all again (or respond to your reviews – apologies in advance) I'm updating all my current stories today before I go into radio silence.

In the last chapter of this story I never used the word "luxury", which I forgot to mention in my AN. I won't be using it in every chapter from now on since it's starting to feel a bit repetitive, and I think you're all starting to get the point by now ;)

Apologies in advance if this chapter seems a bit shakily written. It's been jotted down in a haste, and in like three separate sittings, because I wanted to have something for this story to update with before I leave.

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"Mmm…" Chuck mumbled contently and placed a kiss on the top of Blair's head. "This never gets old."

She smiled and reached for his hand. They were in her bedroom at her mother's penthouse, cuddling in bed in a room lit only by a few candles, soft music playing from the computer on Blair's dresser. Both were on their backs, though Blair was partly resting her upper body on Chuck's. It wasn't very comfortable but neither one of the minded much. His left arm was draped around her and now his right hand was holding hers.

"I can't believe summer has almost gone by" Blair said. "What happened to it? I can barely remember being out in the sun, except for when we went to Daddy's summer house."

"We had better things to do" Chuck said and kissed her head again.

"Reality sucks" Blair complained. "I'm going to be busy with school, you've got your business projects… At least we can be thankful we got together at the start of summer, and had a few months all to ourselves. Can you imagine if we had gotten together _now_, and had to tear ourselves away from each other all day long?"

"You would get kicked out of NYU and my business plans would go straight down the drain" Chuck said. "I think we can handle things changing. So long as we get evenings like this I can stand the days without you."

"Mmm…" Blair said. "You know what else I don't look forward to?"

"Living near Dan Humphrey?"

"That… and packing."

"Since when do you not love packing?"

"Packing for a trip is great. Packing to move to the dorms… Ugh. I have no idea what to bring and what to leave. Plus I've got stuff here and at your place."

"Everything that's at my place stays" Chuck said.

"But-"

"You heard me. Don't think for a second I will sign off on you moving your things _out_ of my place."

"Chuck it's not like we're living together and I'm moving out" Blair said. "I have stuff I need at your place."

"That's too bad. Come over and use them."

"My hair dryer for example."

"There's a shower at my place."

"God you're hopeless."

He smiled. Blair decided she had had enough of this uncomfortable position and turned around so that she was on her stomach, with her upper body on his, draping her arms around his neck and across his chest while his crept around her, his hands meeting at the small of her back. She wrinkled her nose when his chest hair tickled her and moved her head further up.

"I have my iPod at your place" she said. "Can I at least get that?"

"I might be willing to negotiate" Chuck replied. "In exchange for something else."

Blair sighed.

"Name your position."

"No, I meant something else of your stuff" he chuckled.

"I could leave my big book about makeup" Blair said. "I've had it since I was twelve and hardly ever use it anymore. I've memorized most of it."

"Awesome" he said with little enthusiasm.

She smiled and let her fingers graze his chest, drawing little circles and the occasional wave or square. They were silent for a while and Blair had almost drifted off to sleep when he spoke again.

"It's so funny…" he said.

"Mmm… What is?"

"How I used to sleep around all the time and couldn't imagine how guys in relationships put up with only sleeping with one woman, and doing it over and over."

"I'm lucky I'm dating such a romantic" Blair mumbled sleepily.

"Seriously, I thought it would be a real drag. I swore I would be bored to tears after only a few weeks, let alone years or a whole lifetime."

"Get to the part where you tell me how I changed all that, 'cause I'm going to fall asleep real soon" Blair mumbled.

He reached over to the glass of white wine sitting on the nightstand and threw it over her. She shrieked and sat up, sputtering and hissing.

"Chuck what the hell?"

"That's what you get for not listening to me."

"Ugh!"

She got up and stomped off to her bathroom to wash it off. He smirked at her when she returned and took a seat on the bed with a very joyless smile.

"Fine Bass" she said. "Talk. And when you're done, shut up and go sleep on the divan. And snuff out the candles."

"I was going to say…" he said, sitting up, "that it's funny how I thought sex with the same person over and over would get tedious and boring after a while. And then it turns out that it's not. Exploring you is a lot more fun than a onetime thing with some random girl. We still try new things, play new games and find new ways of keeping things interesting."

"Great. So as long as I keep bending over backwards to come up with new things to do in bed you won't get bored" Blair spat out.

"Oh you know I never object to you bending over backwards…"

"I just hope for your sake I'm still agile when I'm in my sixties."

"Come on Blair, all I'm saying is that I thought people in relationships had boring sex lives, but I've come to realize that sex is actually better in a relationship."

"I think you've just come to realize that you need to say things like that in order to get laid in a relationship."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. She didn't seem in the mood for sweet talk. Which was too bad because he sure was.

"When you start to deem me a sexual bore will I get a warning?" she griped. "Or will you just dump me or go get something on the side the minute it doesn't feel new and fresh?"

"Clearly you are not intent on hearing me" he said.

"Maybe that's because you're not saying anything worth hearing."

"I'm _not_ saying that it always has to feel new and exciting when we have sex" he said. "The familiarity is pretty damn nice too. I'm saying I love the combination. We know each other sexually pretty well by now, so we don't need to explain to the other what we like and how we want it. We can read each other. Sex with you can sometimes feel like… like coming home, you know? Like something that's always been a part of my life, and always should be. No pressure, no toys, no kinks, no music or candles or anything else to make it special or interesting. Just you and me, Blair. Nothing else needed."

"So you're bored already?"

"Oh come on, pay attention" Chuck said. "I'm trying to tell you that my sex life has never been better than it is with you. Now either shut up and take the compliment, or _you_ can go sleep on the divan."

She pouted for a second and then shrugged her shoulders, got up and snuffed out the candles. He watched her for a moment, curious to see what she would do next. She got back into bed and pulled the comforter to get more of it. Then she rolled over on her side, facing away from him. He got back down without a word.

"Fine, you can sleep in the bed" she said. "But only because what you said was _kind of_ sweet. But don't ever throw wine on me again."

"I can't make any promises."

She growled at him and he chuckled. Clearly he still had a lot to learn about how to interact with your girlfriend, but he thought he had done a fairly decent job at getting back on her good side. Pity he had gotten on her bad side to begin with, or his little talk about her as sexual luxury might have lead to her giving him some of that luxury. As it was now he would have to settle for at least getting to sleep in bed with her. And that alone was a form of luxury.

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Thanks for reading! Please review.

Oh, and if you have any suggestions for chapters for this story then I would be happy to get some inspiration =) I've got ideas related to what happens in the actual episodes of season three, but I want chapters in-between that aren't episode-related. I've already gotten a jealousy chapter suggested, and that will come. Any other suggestions would be most welcome. I will of course give credit where credit is due =)

Thanks, and have a great day!


	19. Chapter 19

When was the last time I updated this story? It's been months! And this update is only brief, since I have very limited time on my hands. It's set during episode **301**, though it's been ages since I saw it so I'm not sure exactly _when_ in the episode. Sometime between the first scenes with Chuck/Nate and Blair/Serena and the stuff that takes place at the polo game.

Anyways, not much to say about this chapter except… I hope you enjoy =)

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"I still can't believe I'm actually seeing this" Serena said and took a sip from her glass of water. There was no trace of awe in her voice, more like she wanted to shake her head. "Promise me you won't get too sickeningly sweet. I need time to adjust to _this_, let alone the two of you being snuggly."

"Don't come into our bedroom and you won't have to" Chuck replied.

Serena, Chuck, Blair and Nate were sitting at a restaurant having dinner, the first time all four of them had gotten together since Nate and Serena had gotten back from Europe after summer. It was also the first time Nate and Serena had seen Chuck and Blair together as a couple. They were sitting next to each other, hands held on the table, but other than that detail there hadn't been much indication that the two of them were in a relationship. No kisses, no pet names and so far no longing or loving glances at each other.

"Let's not make a big thing out of this" Chuck said while the waiter put his lunch down in front of him. "Blair and I are dating, other than that nothing much has changed."

"Other than that one life altering thing which means the two of you are actually unified instead of making us suffer through your unresolved sexual tension and your mutual refusal to dare to admit your feelings" Nate said dryly, taking a sip of wine. "And thank God for it. I was beginning to go crazy over how annoying the two of you were being."

"Wow Nate, that's so sweet of you to give us your blessing like that" Blair said sarcastically and reluctantly let go of Chuck's hand to pick up the cutlery.

"We are happy for you" Serena said. "We're just happy for ourselves too now that we're no longer subjected to all that frustration. Plus now we can hang out all four together again, just like old times."

"Except now I'm with Chuck, not Nate" Blair said with a grin.

"Does this conversation feel like it's lifted from an episode of '_Dawson's Creek_' to anyone else?" Chuck asked.

"You're right" Blair said. "Enough about me and Chuck being a couple. We know it's a bit of a change, but it's been a long time coming and we're still capable of hanging out with other people without only having eyes for each other. Nothing's really changed. We're just… together now, as opposed to not being together." She shoved some food in her mouth, eager to move on before the conversation got awkward. "S what's new with you?"

"Nothing much" Serena said, not too willing to talk about her quest to find her father. "I believe you said you knew most of what I've been up to during summer."

"Nate then?"

"I already had this conversation with Chuck" Nate said. "Do I have to tell you about it too? I didn't do anything _that_ interesting."

"Wow, I can see hanging out together all four of us is going to be a real blast" Blair said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Did you call Bree Buckley?" Chuck asked Nate.

"Bree Buckley?" Serena echoed with eyebrows raised.

"Real stealth, man" Nate frowned.

"I didn't know it was such a secret" Chuck said.

"Why would you call Bree Buckley?" Blair wondered.

"Chuck didn't tell you?"

"You're not exactly the hottest topic of conversation between us" Blair pointed out. "Let's just be happy that we're all still friends, past relationships considered."

"I met this girl on the flight over from Europe and we had a great time together" Nate began to explain. "Turns out she's Bree Buckley. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to see her again because I don't want to cause unnecessary problems with my family. Now I'm starting to think that my family won't stop trying to control me unless I really put my foot down."

"How much do you like her?" Serena asked.

"Not sure yet."

"What do you have to lose?" Blair shrugged. "If the Vanderbilts are already mad at you how much worse can it get?"

"Do you want some of this?" Chuck asked her, pointing at his ravioli with his fork.

Blair reached over to his plate and speared some pasta on her fork. She had only ordered a salad, trying to be watchful of what she was eating, even though she was starving and a salad would do little to solve that. She had taken to ordering salads more often these days since she knew Chuck always offered her some real food from his plate.

Serena watched her eat off Chuck's plate and made a face.

"Ugh, I don't know how I'm supposed to get used to this" she said.

"What?" Blair asked defensively.

"First the weird games and now this? I'm happy for the both of you, it's just weird seeing you like this."

"Do you mean to imply that I've never been generous enough to share food in the past?" Chuck asked.

"I never thought you had it in you to be such a… boyfriend" Nate shrugged.

"Let's not get carried away" Chuck objected. "I do not rub her feet at the end of the day, I do not watch Sandra Bullock movies and I most certainly never wash her hair. I did not have my personality uninstalled when I had a girlfriend installed."

"And if you don't believe him, just rate that comment on the romantic scale" Blair said. "Chuck and I want things to stay normal, only better. We won't make a big deal out of this if you guys won't."

"Maybe it simply is a big deal?" Nate shrugged. "You guys were sniffing around each other for ages, we knew you were in love, and I think it's great that you finally took the step. I never thought I'd see the day when Chuck fell in love, let alone when he willingly became one half of a couple. I agree it shouldn't be made into this super huge thing but on the other hand there's no point in not acknowledging it."

"We just don't want things to be awkward" Blair said.

"If you start calling him '_snuggly-bear_' things will definitely turn awkward" Serena said, getting a guffaw from Chuck in response. "Steer clear of that and it's fine guys. We'll get used to it."

"Great, then we can all move on from this topic of conversation" Blair said, grabbing more food from Chuck's plate. "It won't be long before you get used to see Chuck and me the way we're supposed to be."

Chuck flashed her a smile and stroke her back with his hand. Serena rolled her eyes dramatically.

"And there's the cutesy look" she said. Then she chuckled. "I actually think it's nice. Seeing you both so happy for once."

"Though I'm grateful I missed the honeymoon period" Nate muttered under his breath before taking another sip of wine.

"Mm-hm" Serena mumbled in agreement.

The couple across the table didn't seem to have heard them. They were busy shooting each other looks and smiles. It really was strange seeing them together this way, and a touch awkward being around the couple Chuck and Blair, but Serena had a feeling it would be easy getting used to. They did seem to belong this way and it was a huge relief that all the shall we/ shan't we drama between them was over.

Good thing though that Serena was back now and could keep tabs on her best friend before Chuck turned her into a completely crazy person. While Blair definitely brought out the best in Chuck, Chuck seemed to have a way of bringing out the worst in Blair. Seeing her best friend expressing her less ladylike qualities openly was good in a way, yet there were limits to how far Blair could sink before Serena would protest. Their humiliating-someone-as-foreplay thing was definitely on the line.

But Serena couldn't frown at it completely. Not when Blair was looking happier than she had in a good long while. And Chuck was probably looking happier than he ever had. A few moments of odd behavior here and there, or a sickeningly sweet gesture or two between them, seemed like a small price to pay for the luxury of seeing them both this happy.

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Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome =)


	20. Chapter 20

A rather short update, set during one of my favorite scenes from the show. Hope you enjoy =)

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When the alarm clock went off Chuck reached out his hand and turned it off. It was just past eight in the morning and he should be getting out of bed, but he needed more sleep. He had been so angry with his not-so-darling stepsister the day before that he hadn't been able to go to sleep until hours after he had gone to bed. He had tossed and turned, plotting Serena's demise, venting his frustration by dreaming up countless forms of revenge which he knew he would never actually go through with in real life. It had taken hours for his anger to wear off enough so that he could sleep. The fact that he was in bed alone didn't help much either.

Right now everything just sucked. He knew he could forget about opening his club at the place he had set his sights on, thanks to Serena and her little intervention with Carter Baizen. A lot of hard work right down the drain for no other reason than that Serena was petty and immature. Now he had to start looking for a new place and that took time and energy. On top of that he had barely seen or spoken to Blair since she moved in to her dorm room and this was the longest they had been apart since they began to date. It would have been okay if it were just a temporary thing, but Blair had _moved in_ at the dorms and given how seriously she took her studies he would probably be able to consider himself lucky if he got one night a week with his girlfriend. Now he was back to being all alone and if it had been tough before he and Blair started dating it was near unbearable now.

So when his alarm went off he just shut it off and went back to sleep. It wasn't like he had anything important to get out of bed for anyway. Blair was at NYU and he really didn't feel up for the task of starting to look for a new place for his club. That could wait another day.

He woke up some time later when a soft body pressed up against his back and a gentle hand touched his shoulder. He could feel her breath on his neck as she nuzzled against him and he sleepily turned his head toward her, wondering if he was awake or still asleep. She was indeed right there, caressing his arm and wrapping her dainty feet around his leg. He lay his head back down and reached his hand up to grab hers.

"You were right about the dorms" she said softly, taking his hand in hers. "Dorm lighting is awful."

He didn't respond. Whether or not her dorms were up to her standards didn't matter much to him right now and she wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know. Was she only there because his hotel room had better lighting?

She nuzzled closer.

"Are you okay?"

He didn't know how to respond at first. It was a simple question, but the way it made him feel was unexpected. When had someone ever cared that much about him for as to worry about whether or not he was alright? In fact, when had someone ever cared enough about him to know him well enough to be able to tell that right now he wasn't just sleeping in, he was feeling like crap? It wasn't just what she had said it was how she had said it. The softness, the genuine concern. It blew his mind how Blair could make him feel so loved with so few words. He wanted to tell her so many things but it would probably take hours to describe to her what her question had made him feel. He could of course try and _show_ her but sex felt like it would cheapen the moment. Sex had always been his go-to thing to make himself feel better, but Blair could accomplish that without anybody taking their clothes off. That was what made her, and them, special.

"Mmm…" he mumbled, admitting defeat before he even began to try to tell her what he was feeling. "I am now."

He gave her hand a kiss and wrapped her arm closer around him, caressing her gently. She nuzzled even closer, apparently content with just laying there even though she had already showered, gotten dressed, styled herself, eaten breakfast and gotten all the way across town to his room. That made him feel loved too. He had heard friends talk about how it was unmanly to let the woman be the outer spoon but he found he very much liked it. Feeling comforted and loved by her was exactly what he needed right now. He could deal with Serena and with his club later. Right now everything he needed in the world was in the bed with him.

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Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome. Have a great holiday season =)


	21. Chapter 21

It's been a while now since I last watched a GG episode so I decided to rewatch some season three and it put me in a Chair fluff mood. Hope you'll enjoy this somewhat corny update =)

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It was a lazy Thursday afternoon and Chuck was sitting by the table, going slightly crazy as he read up on everything there was to know about the Empire Hotel. Stuff he should probably have read up on more carefully before buying the place but it had been a spur of the moment kind of thing. His father had bought a number of hotels over the years and Chuck had paid enough attention to know what to think about. He wasn't worried, but he was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of work he would have to put in.

Blair was on the bed, nose buried in a textbook. A highly practical arrangement. She could get her school work done, he could get his business work done, and once that was out of the way they had instant access to each other. He had thought she would be a distraction to have near when he had work to do but so long as she had work of her own to busy herself with it was to his advantage to have her there. He didn't have to waste any energy missing her.

He could hear her shifting on the bed and smiled to himself, wondering if he would ever get so used to having her around that it would no longer feel like luxury. He still spent most of his time trying to fathom that she was really his girlfriend now and he could see her whenever, touch her wherever and do to her whatever.

After a few minutes he started to feel like he was being watched and looked over at her. She had abandoned her textbook and was leaning over the counter at the head of the bed, arms crossed and her chin resting against one arm. She had a lovely little smile on her face which made him smile in return.

"You look happy" he said.

"I am happy."

"Good."

"You're smiling."

"I'm happy too."

"I love seeing you with that smile on your face…" she said warmly, almost dreamingly. "You're always handsome but when you smile it's like… It's like I can't even breathe. You take my breath away."

He laughed a little.

"Well I guess it's a good thing I have a lot to smile about nowadays."

"When we were first sleeping together and you were still just my friend Chuck who had a heck of a talent in the bedroom, I think it was your smile that first made me start to fall."

"I believe you had seen me smile before then" he commented. "Friendship from early childhood… I wasn't a sourpuss all my life, was I?"

"No… But you've always smirked more than you have smiled. That sort of smile brought about by genuine happiness… That was one I hadn't seen in you very often. I remember we were in bed together, making out, and I said… I don't know, something to the effect that I was glad you were there. You rewarded me with a smile that really took my breath away. The first of many. Now I could just lie here and watch you smile all day long."

"That might be bad for your academic career" Chuck noted.

"Worth it" she said in a content sigh.

He chuckled and decided he had done enough work for one day. He rose from his seat and walked over to the bed. She grinned at him like a cat that ate the canary and scooted back down to the bed before rolling over on her back. He stopped by the bed, placed one knee up on it and smirked.

"You…" he said, reaching down to caress her leg, "are a distraction."

"Me?" she said innocently. "I'm not doing anything. I'm just daydreaming about my boyfriend. I find I like to ogle my actual boyfriend when I do that a lot more than I like staring at a picture. I've got tons of great pictures of you but it can't measure up to the real thing."

He smirked at her and climbed up on the bed, crawling so he was hovering right above her. Her hands reached up and began to caress his arms.

"Do I need to take measures to make sure you don't bother me?" he asked huskily.

"I would never dream of bothering you" she said. "You're sexy when you're working. I like imagining what we're going to do to each other once you're done working and devoting yourself to me instead."

"Mmm…" he said, leaning down to kiss her. "Any ideas in particular?"

"You'll find out once you've done your work for the day, like a good boy."

He laughed and her smile widened, her hand reaching up to caress his face.

"See? How gorgeous is that?"

"What's gorgeous is the smile on _your_ face" he countered. "You will be happy to know I've done enough work for one day. I'm all yours."

"Mmm…"

She grabbed his collar and pulled his face down to hers, meeting him in a heated kiss.

* * *

Afterward he lay on his back, completely spent, while a less exhausted Blair lifted herself up on her right elbow to look down at him. She was curled up on her side right next to him and he let his head fall in her direction with a content sigh. She ran her hand through his bangs, combing through it gently and then moving it away from his forehead. He looked up at her and smiled lovingly before closing his eyes to drift off to sleep.

"Every single time you smile…" she said dreamingly.

"Mmm…" he mumbled sleepily.

"Just keep smiling, would you?" she said, softly placing a kiss on his lips.

"Mmm… I'll try."

He went to sleep but she stayed awake, knowing she would have to wake him up after twenty minutes or he wouldn't be able to fall asleep tonight. While he was asleep she could continue letting her fingers gently brush against his cheek and forehead, enjoying the serene smile on his lips. She never could get enough of him smiling.

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Short and hopefully sweet =) Thanks for reading, please review.


	22. Chapter 22

Desperate for some Chair fluff, so I figured why not write some? =)

* * *

Chuck looked up from the book he was reading when his hotel room door opened. He hadn't expected Blair to come by tonight since she had that slumber party still going on but he never minded a surprise visit. He wondered though what her mood would be. She had been rather unraveled earlier in the evening.

She looked tired and a bit defeated when she walked inside but had a hint of a smile on her face. She set her bag down on the table and took off the light jacket she was wearing, letting it fall to the ground as she walked over to the bed.

"Hey" she said.

"Hey" he answered. "I wasn't expecting to see you again this evening. I thought you had a slumber party to host."

"Which is exactly why I can't go home" she said. "You were right. How low did I stoop to throw a slumber party for a bunch of freshmen who are below Jenny Humphrey in Constance hierarchy?"

"So why not go to your dorm?" he had to ask.

"Fear of running into the evil roommate" Blair said. "I know she's supposed to be out of town but I wouldn't put it past her to read about my humiliation on _Gossip Girl_ and come shooting back to annoy me."

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Yeah…" she said, not entirely convincingly.

"I meant what I said before" he said as she slowly got up on the bed. "You got me to tell you I love you. How hard can it be to have the rest of the world eating out of your hand?"

She smiled tiredly and moved closer to him on the bed, leaning over him to give him a kiss. He took his hand from the book and ran it through her hair before letting it rest by her neck. She made herself comfortable lying as close to him as she could, resting her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

"I'm just not used to this" she complained. "I've never before been at a place where people don't recognize their betters when they see them and act accordingly."

"A blind person can see you're so much better than them" Chuck argued, wrapping his arm around her. "But my love, this is NYU, school of commoners. They're probably busy telling themselves that they're making a stand against social hierarchy and refuse to fall in line over some principle or other. They'll come around."

"What if they don't?" Blair pouted.

"They will. Once they realize that you're not better than them because you were born a Waldorf on the Upper East Side. You're better than them because you're _Blair_ Waldorf, the smartest, most cunning, sexiest and all around most fantastic person who ever set foot on that campus. You've got me, one of the most closed-off people in the world and certainly the pickiest, wrapped around your little finger. Your charm and charisma will have them falling in line sooner or later."

"You're biased" Blair said, still pouting.

"I'm right." He placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head towards his for a kiss. "And when that happens you will discover a new side of me."

"I know all your sides" Blair said and kissed him back.

"So you might think. Just wait until the lowlife men at NYU start seeing how amazing you are and start to think they can be good enough for an Upper East Side queen. I'm not proud of the fact that I might get jealous of commoners but I prefer it if men know that they can never measure up to what you and I have and refrain from trying to woo you. It would be a little insulting if one of them thought he could rival me."

"You're crazy" Blair said with a smile. "Those morons at NYU probably think I'm stuck up and snobbish and would never find me interesting."

"So you'd think but ultimately they all fall for the allure of the unobtainable woman" Chuck generalized.

"I just wish I could have gone to _Yale_" Blair complained, resting her head back against his shoulder. "I would have been so much better there. My kind of college with my kind of people. An Ivy!"

"At least now you don't have to commute from New Haven" Chuck said. "Or, _I_ don't have to commute from New Haven."

"You would have never gone to New Haven" Blair snorted. "You get anxiety attacks if you're away from larger cities for more than a few weeks at a time. You would never have lasted four years in Connecticut."

"I'd be more likely to get an anxiety attack if I was away from you for more than a few _days_ at a time."

She laughed a little.

"I don't know if I believe that but thank you for saying it."

"Believe it" Chuck said, kissing the top of her head. "If I had my way I'd only be away from you while I was in the bathroom."

"That's… both gross and cute."

"You know what I mean" he smirked.

"Yeah I do…" she said, slowly drawing circles on his shirt with her index finger. "We should go away together. For a weekend. Go someplace away from the city where nobody can call us and bother us and we can just… be together. And go out and have fun and do whatever."

"With you it's more fun to stay in" Chuck said. "Though I suppose that depends on what we would do when we went out."

"Chuck I'm serious" Blair said. "Can't we just… go to Europe for a weekend?"

"Just say when" he smiled. "Although… Maybe we can wait until I've gotten things underway at the Empire?"

"Sure…"

"It's going to be a lot of hard work at first."

"I know" she said with a nod. "But I wouldn't worry too much. You can excel at it."

"I appreciate your faith" he said.

"I know you" she said with a little shrug. "You wouldn't have bought the hotel if you didn't think you could do it. And besides…" She lifted her head and looked at him. "I'm Blair Waldorf and I believe in you. So if you ever doubt your own ability…"

"I should just remember that you're Blair Waldorf" he finished the thought. "And you believe in me."

"Exactly" she smiled.

"At least that slumber party of yours wasn't a total waste" Chuck said in a musing tone when they had been quiet for a minute.

"How so?"

"Since it drove you away from your own home it gave me the luxury of your company tonight. In fact, maybe you should throw slumber parties more often."

"How about I throw a private slumber party for just the two of us?" she asked, slowly moving to straddle him.

"Do I have to eat cookie dough?" he asked, running his hands up her thighs to rest on her waist.

"No…" Blair said, leaning in slowly and brushing her nose against his. "But you do have to play Spin the Bottle."

"And have a pillow fight?"

"That comes later, when we're in our pajamas."

Without taking his eyes off her he reached over to the nightstand and pushed over a bottle of perfume. He then grabbed it and spun it, eyes still fixated on her.

"I think it points at you, Waldorf" he said.

She grinned widely.

"I think so too."

* * *

Thanks for reading. Reviews are always welcome =)


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